It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This
by ebhg
Summary: Edward and Bella Masen are enjoying newlywedded life. In all the bliss and bumps along the way, they learn that life doesn't get much better than when you're together with someone you love. AU/AH
1. It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

**It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This**

**A/N: **This was originally written for the Epic T One-Shot Contest sponsored by Bronzehairedgirl620 in memory of Daddy's Little Cannibal. The only specifications were to include the words 'fireman' and 'cannibal' in a T-rated one-shot. I have since continued the story beyond the contest one-shot:)

**Twilight and its associated characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

7:58…

7:59…

8:00!

Edward Masen counted down the time on his wristwatch. It had been a hectic night shift in the emergency room where he was doing his residency. His uncle and Emergency Chief of Staff of Seattle General, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, had made him promise to work two weeks of night shifts in order to accommodate the time off that he requested for his honeymoon.

Just thinking of his honeymoon brought a goofy grin to his face as he strode from the employee locker room and tried to get to the large automatic double doors before another intern or nurse could stop him.

"Dr. Masen!"

Edward grimaced; he hadn't been fast enough. He tried to school his features into an indifferent look, and turned to face his uncle. Carlisle was smirking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes?" Edward prompted the older man.

"Well, I was going to ask you to take a look at the fireman in exam six once more before you leave, but I won't hold you." The smirk on Carlisle's face deepened. "And, Esme wanted me to invite you and Bella over for dinner tonight; your cousins will be there with their wives, but I'm guessing you have plans?"

Edward wanted nothing more than to go home and curl into bed with Bella and sleep until sunset, but he knew that his Aunt Esme would be disappointed if he and Bella didn't come. She had been using Carlisle to encourage him and Bella to come over and tell them all about their newly-wedded bliss. Considering Esme had leant them her private island for their honeymoon, he felt it would be rude to decline another invitation. "Sure…actually, that sounds good. What time?"

"How's six o'clock? Give you plenty of time to get some…sleep…and get dinner before your next shift," Carlisle said with a grin as Edward's face turned red at his uncle's insinuation. It was rare for his uncle to tease in such a manner, but, Edward supposed that his cousin Emmett must have gotten his playfulness from somewhere.

"Sounds great…I guess we'll see you in…nine hours, and forty-eight minutes? Should we bring anything?" Edward asked as he yawned and rubbed his face blearily.

"Just yourself and your beautiful bride, Edward," chuckled Carlisle; then he waved at Edward and strode back into the emergency room to start his shift. Edward quickly turned to escape before Carlisle changed his mind.

Edward pulled out his cell phone as he walked to his car so that he could call Bella; he figured he ought to let her know that he was headed home. If he were honest with himself, he just wanted to hear her voice.

"_Hello?_" Bella's voice sounded groggy. Edward cringed; he hadn't meant to wake her. Usually she was up rather early.

"I'm sorry, hon…I didn't think you'd be asleep still…" he apologized.

"_S'ok…wow…I can't believe I was still asleep! I really don't sleep well when you're on nights Edward,"_ Bella yawned audibly as she said it. _"To what do I owe the honor of hearing your voice this morning?"_

"Well, I thought that I'd let you know that I was headed home…I'm sorry you didn't sleep well, Love. You're more than welcome to curl up with me for a couple more hours…it _is_ Saturday…and I miss sleeping with you too when I'm on nights."

"_Hmm…sleeping with me, huh?" _Bella murmured. Edward could imagine the raised eyebrow and smug grin that went with the playful tone in his wife's voice.

"You know full well what I meant you minx," Edward replied, just as playfully. "Though if you interpreted things differently…"

"_Just get home safe, and we'll snuggle_," Bella promised, laughing at the eagerness that suddenly colored Edward's tone.

"I can't wait," he said. "I'm getting in the car."

"_Love you, bye_," Bella responded.

"See you soon; love you, bye," Edward repeated just as he finished unlocking his car door. He paused, imagining Bella all warm and curled up in their bed waiting for him when he heard a soft snort. Edward glanced over the roof of his car and noticed one of his co-workers was getting into the vehicle parked next to his.

Mike Newton was a third-year med student who had a bit of hero worship for Edward, as a second year resident. More annoyingly, Mike had a little bit of a crush on Bella; he was never without some sort of unintentional double entendre. The oaf always seemed to run his mouth without thinking about what he was saying.

Edward had once thought the same of Emmett, who was often playfully blunt and intrinsically honest, paired with a razor-sharp wit. But Edward had come to realize over the years that while Emmett spoke his mind, there was intention and thought behind his innuendo. Not so with Mike Newton. The guy just rubbed Edward the wrong way, even though he was unfailingly chipper most of the time. Bella insisted it was Edward's inner cave-man awakening at the thought of competition; then she insisted there was none. Either way, Newton was still annoying.

"Talkin to your home girl?" Mike smirked.

"If by _home girl_, you mean _wife, _then yes, I was in fact speaking with her," Edward said, emphasizing the fact that Bella was now his wife.

"It's cool dude… I figured you were talking to the 'ball and chain' since you had such a whipped look on your face," Mike giggled, complete with air quotes. Edward blinked slowly at the snickering imbecile across from him, and then he recalled the image of Bella snuggled into their bed. There was no stopping the exultant grin that spread across Edward's face.

"That's exactly why _I'm_ the married one, and _you're_ still living in your parent's basement," Edward said smoothly. He laughed at Mike's confused expression and jumped into his car, driving away before he had to explain the finer points to Newton.

Twenty minutes later, he was tiredly climbing the stairs towards his and Bella's bedroom in their modest townhouse. When he opened the door, he smiled at the sight of Bella curled-up and reading her dog-eared copy of _Wuthering Heights_. Again. Of course, she had recently obliterated her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ with so many repeated readings, so Edward supposed she had to read something, no matter how much he teased her about how terrible the story was.

When Bella looked up at Edward, he smiled mischievously at her and crossed the room in three great strides. He took a flying leap onto the bed, knocking her book to the floor. Her squeal of indignation was cut off when he found her lips with his own and kissed her protests away.

"Good morning, Dr. Masen. I didn't realize that you were making house calls," she joked.

"Only for you, Mrs. Masen," he replied cheekily. "What can I help you with today?" he added with a wink and a brilliant smile.

"I drew the black-out curtains for you so that you could get some _sleep, _not some action," Bella said, laughing.

"Yes, that's the idea. I really am exhausted… I just thought you could use a little excitement before you laid down with me, since you just woke up." Edward tilted his head downward, and then he looked up through his lashes, trying to convince her to snuggle with him, rather than get up for the day.

"Cheater…you know I can't resist that look. You needn't have tried so hard, love, I was hoping to join you and sleep for an hour or so. I meant it when I said I haven't slept well since you've been working nights. Three weeks of marriage and I'm already addicted to sleeping next to you," Bella said as she wrapped her arms around his chest and snuggled into him. Edward grinned at her and within moments, the both of them were lightly snoring.

Edward was awoken some time later to the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen downstairs. At some point, he had sprawled across the bed on his stomach with his right arm and leg stretched onto Bella's side. It seemed as though he had gone looking for her warmth in his sleep. Again. She had accused him just three days into their marriage of being a big bed hog. He had just smirked and said, "But I'm _your_ bed hog." Which Bella could not deny.

He stumbled groggily into the bathroom, cursing as he turned on the bright light over the vanity. Blinking to regain retinal function, he turned to the shower and cranked it on. The warm spray of water woke him more fully than any energy drink ever could. Edward was ready within thirty minutes to head downstairs to find his wife. Half-way down, he heard Bella laughing and talking quietly in the kitchen, though he couldn't hear any other voices. Edward quickly realized that she was probably on the phone. Bella wasn't prone to speaking aloud to herself unless she was asleep. Edward smirked as he remembered the hilarious things that she had said while asleep during their honeymoon. Then, he heard her start to speak again.

"Six is fine, Esme… No, he didn't tell me, but to be fair, he was asleep almost as soon as he walked into the house."

_Oops… The dinner party._ Edward winced, hoping that Bella hadn't already started her own plans for dinner.

"He was in the shower a few minutes ago, so I'll ask him when he comes down," Bella said, answering whatever question was asked on the other end. Edward looked guiltily down at his watch, wondering how far Bella was into her plans for their evening meal. _Four o'clock_… knowing Bella, she had probably already started preparing dinner. At the thought of food, his stomach grumbled loudly just as he walked into the kitchen. Bella's back was to him, though the sound gave him away.

"Speak of the devil and he shall come… He just walked into the kitchen, Esme, and he certainly sounds hungry…" she said without turning around.

Edward crossed the kitchen with a sly smirk; a plan forming as he approached his wife. He wrapped his arms around Bella and gathered her hair in his hands. Transferring the mass of brown to one hand, and bent his head to the back of her neck. He leisurely trailed the tip of his nose from the base of her neck to her nape. He followed the same path a few times, teasing her now and then with a slight brush of his lips. She trembled under his touch, and he laughed as she struggled to maintain her composure while still on the phone.

"Uh…um…Edward? Esme would like to know…if you could bring your crepe pan…she wants you to make crepes…for dessert tonight…how about that?" In her attempt to sound unaffected, Bella's voice was nearly a half-octave higher than normal by the time she finished speaking. Edward smirked at her discomposure- he was certain that she had suppressed a groan at some point during his teasing. He pulled the phone from her hand, and heard his aunt laughing as he pressed it to his ear.

"_Bella? Tell Edward to stop pestering you and get his magic crepe hands over here…"_

"Magic crepe hands? To think I spent all these years in med school when I could have just done culinary school instead…" he joked.

"_Oh, Edward! Now that you're married, you can be just as bad as your cousin you know?"_ Esme said laughing.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Emmett has been telling me to lighten up for years…we'll be over in a bit," Edward chuckled back. Once he had hung up with his aunt, Edward turned to find Bella watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, Carlisle only asked me as I was headed home this morning, and then I ran into Mr. 'D stands for diploma' Newton in the parking lot. How that guy ever made it into med school is beyond me…" Edward mused, thinking back on his encounter with the clueless oaf in the parking lot.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that I was just planning on breakfast for dinner tonight; I hadn't really gotten any further than pulling the eggs out of the fridge and frying up some bacon. I was hoping to help you acclimate to your schedule a little better," Bella said shyly. Edward smiled at her sincere and sweet gesture.

"Whatever you cook is wonderful. Did you mention bacon? I haven't eaten anything since four this morning."

"I hope it was more than just vending machine garbage," Bella chided him.

"Well, I'll have you know it was a turkey sandwich, which just so happened to be from the cafeteria," Edward defended himself. "You can't expect a man to live on Cheetos alone."

Bella rolled her eyes before reaching into the cabinet and handing Edward his well-used crepe pan as he descended upon the plate of perfectly crisp bacon.

"Here…let's not forget this…Esme would be terribly disappointed to miss out on your delectable French cooking skills," Bella murmured just before she gave him a searing kiss.

"Oui…" Edward replied without opening his eyes, nuzzling his nose into Bella's and enjoying her closeness.

Dinner at the Cullen home was delicious as usual; Esme had prepared a fantastic spread with her daughters-in-law's help. Edward wowed everyone once again with his crepes filled with glazed strawberries and topped with whipped cream. He had felt Bella's gaze on him in the kitchen; she had sat at the breakfast nook and watched his skilled movements as he poured the batter and swirled the pan with a smooth, practiced hand. He was showing off just a little bit; he knew what watching him cook did to his wife. Before long his audience had grown to include his cousin's wives as well. Rosalie and Alice giggled and poked fun at their husbands' ineptitude in the culinary arts.

Edward pretended not to notice when Bella startled and flushed red after Emmett wandered in looking for his wife and swore that he was going to take up cooking lessons. Edward tried to hide his smirk; he'd had a feeling that his family hadn't missed the subtle flirtations between him and his wife.

After everyone was stuffed to bursting, Alice chirped, "So newlyweds, did you bring your pictures from your honeymoon?"

Bella blushed at the acknowledgment of her and Edward's honeymoon while they still sat around the dinner table. Edward spared her the embarrassment of his cousin's teasing. Alice may not take the mickey out of Bella for blushing, but Edward knew he had to cut Emmett off before he got into his stride. "I brought a DVD that I burned with all our pictures from the island. Jasper?" Edward turned to his cousin. "Did you get the wedding pictures onto a DVD as well?"

"Sure did…Alice would have killed me if it wasn't done by tonight," Jasper drawled softly, looking softly at his wife and smiling at her.

The eight of them picked up their dessert plates and moved to the media room of Carlisle and Esme's beautiful home. Edward and Jasper each loaded their discs into the changer and Edward procured the correct remote. All the ladies ooed and awed over the pictures of Edward and Bella's wedding ceremony and reception; the men stayed silent, other than Emmett's and Jasper's wolf-whistles when the pictures of Edward removing Bella's garter came up. Photo-Bella's face was crimson, and Photo-Edward's was a dusky pink, though he had a wicked grin on his lips. His hands were invisible beneath the antique white of Bella's skirt.

Bella's father could be seen in the background of the photo with his hands in his pockets. The expression on his face was the opposite of the bride and groom; utterly pale, and cringing at the scene before him. Carlisle laughed at the expression on Charlie Swan's face. Carlisle couldn't really relate, having raised three boys, but he imagined that there was a special bond between father and daughter that made it harder for a man to see his little girl getting married.

Esme sniffed discretely as the last few wedding photos slid across the screen. All the women, including Bella fought back tears at the sight of Edward and Bella after they had changed into their going-away clothes. They stood, their attention fixed solely on one another, at the head of an aisle of party-goers. All the guests held a lit sparkler high in their hands, creating an arched-tunnel of fiery light for Edward and Bella to run through. There was an incredibly palpable expression of love and desire radiating from their locked gaze. So tangible that everyone in the room turned to their spouse and shared a loving kiss. The slideshow came to an end with a picture of Edward's car, emblazoned with _Just Married_, as it pulled away into the night. Esme squinted at the image, moving closer as she tried to make out what was written in smaller text below the just married proclamation. Her eyes narrowed and she looked at Emmett's less-than-innocent face.

"Why does it say '_Go Forth and Multiply and Replenish the Earth?'_ on their car?" she asked. "If you were going to put a biblical message on their car, I can think of a few that are less suggestive!" Carlisle put his hand on Esme's shoulder and chuckled.

"It's done with now, shall we move on the next disc?" he said peaceably. To Emmett, he gave thumbs up behind his wife's head, for which he received an elbow to the ribs and an innocent smile from Esme.

Once they switched to the honeymoon photos, Bella blushed as the frequent pictures of her in a bathing suit popped up onto the screen, eliciting more wolf-whistles from the guys in the room.

"You're exquisite, Bella," Edward murmured in her ear. Not for the first time, he earnestly wished that they were watching this alone. Bella's pink-tinged neck was incredibly tempting, even in a roomful of their family. Sudden catcalls from Rose and Alice made Edward look up at the screen. It was a photo that he hadn't realized that Bella had taken. He was standing hip deep in the water, the top of his low-slung suit only just visible above the ocean. He was completely drenched from the wave he had just body-surfed nearly all the way to shore. His chest and hips faced the camera, which showed every drop and rivulet of water as it meandered its way down his body and back to the ocean. His face was in profile as he watched the waves coming from over his shoulder. _How did I miss that? _He wondered.

"Edward…looks like you actually do tan…" Rose teased appreciatively.

"Mhmm. All over," Bella said saucily. It was Edward's turn to flush red now. Bella smiled cheekily at him before she snuggled deeper into his side, a little pink herself. Edward was forced to pull his astonished gaze from Bella's though when Emmett snorted, "What the heck? Where did you take that picture?"

Edward turned to the screen and laughed. It was a picture that Bella had taken of him when they had gone on an afternoon sightseeing excursion to the mainland. As part of their jungle river cruise, they'd had the opportunity to visit a small native village. The people of the indigenous tribe were amazed at Edward's height; at 1.9 meters, he towered over everyone in the village. The children there were fascinated by the color of his hair; while already a unique color in the states, it was unheard of in the jungles of South America.

"What are those children doing to you?" Emmett wondered. In the photo, Edward sat on the ground, surrounded by eight partially-clad young children. Every one of them had a hand in his hair, and a bright smile on their face. Picture-Edward's eyes were closed, his face was scrunched up, and he had a huge open-mouthed grin on his face as he laughed in delight. Edward smiled in remembrance as Bella explained the photo.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Rosalie and Alice cooed together; Rosalie elbowed Emmett, who shrugged.

Emmett tilted his head to the side at the next picture. Edward smiled at his cousin's reaction; the medicine man of the tribe had wanted to take a clipping of Edward's hair to put on a talisman. The children from the previous photo were huddled in the background with their watchful mothers as the natively-dressed shaman used a rough-hewn knife to shear off a lock of hair.

"I hope you had a really good translator, because it looks like he's trying to prepare you for dinner there…" Emmett said with a shudder. Everyone else laughed.

"They weren't cannibals, Emmett," Edward reassured his cousin. "He was their medicine man…our guide explained that I was a doctor, so he wanted some of my unusual hair for some sort of talisman. Then he pulled out this old med kit from the Red Cross, and asked if I would look at all the children. They were all so charming and eager to see us. The littlest ones sat on their mother's laps and smiled shyly at me, even though I was a stranger with a stethoscope! With the help of our translator, the shaman told me about several medicinal plants that he used for his tribe. He could treat a good deal of illnesses, using just what they had in the jungle. They were all exceptionally healthy, so I think his techniques are working," Edward explained. He looked over at Carlisle and Esme; his uncle was smiling proudly, and his aunt was quietly laughing at Emmett's reactions to the other pictures from the village, including one of a topless woman breast-feeding her baby.

The rest of the slideshow was over quickly, and Edward and Bella were finally headed home so that Edward could get ready for his next shift at the hospital.

"You were so beautiful in those pictures, Bella." Edward insisted on the drive.

"You weren't so bad yourself, Edward," Bella responded.

"You know, before my Mom and Dad died, my father had this saying. He would look my mother in the eye, and he would say, _Liz, it doesn't get much better than this. _I could never figure out why he always said it. It didn't matter if they were laughing at each other on the side of the road while my dad tried to change a flat tire in the rain, or if they were waltzing in the kitchen while my mother had food cooking on the stove. It never made sense to me, because surely waltzing in the kitchen was better than being soaked on the roadside." Edward paused, mulling over his thoughts. "If there's one thing that being married to you has taught me, it's that everything is precious, something to be treasured. Whether it's making love to you, just sharing a bed for sleep, a quiet evening at home, or even a flat tire in the rain… nothing could be better than doing those things together. So, after all these years, I get it…" Edward trailed off.

"Edward?" Bella whispered.

"Yeah, hon?"

"It doesn't get much better than this."

A/N: So, I hope you all enjoyed this little epic T entry:)

My hubby, whom I have dubbed my own personal Edward, does in fact make delectable and authentic French Crepes. He spent two years in France, and luckily, he learned a thing or two in the kitchen ;) And yes, I love to watch him make his crepes ;)

And for all of my fellow Americans who were wondering, 1.9 meters is six foot, two and three-quarter inches :)


	2. French Crepes 101

**A/N: I just realized that I was extremely remiss in my original posting, in forgetting to add my thanks to all the usual suspects when I uploaded this chapter originally. Justine Lark and Gleena were both extremely helpful in their reviewing and and suggestions, and I can't believe I didn't thank them before!!! I think Crepeward went to my head...THANKS LADIES!!!!!**

**French Crepes 101**

Dr. Edward Masen groaned at the light piercing through the slight crack in the black-out curtains. His and Bella's bedroom window faced the west; the strength of the beams now assaulting his eyes could only mean one thing. It was late afternoon, and it was time to get up. His body protested though; his eyes threatened to close again, and he was tempted to give in. He had just come off of a twenty-hour shift that morning; his body was craving sleep and he had the next thirty-six hours to sleep as much as he wanted.

Edward decided that a few more minutes wouldn't hurt, so he reached across the bed (never mind that he was already stretched over more than half of it) and pulled Bella's fragrant over-sized pillow into his chest and curled himself around it. Pressing his face into its fluffy softness, he pulled in a deep breath and luxuriated in the sweet strawberry scent of his wife's shampoo.

Thinking of 'wife' caused a sleepy, giddy grin to stretch across his face. He and Bella would very soon be celebrating their first anniversary, and he had plans. They hadn't been away from Seattle together since their honeymoon. Bella had taken a week six months previous to help Charlie get settled when he had broken his leg by stepping into an old discarded bear trap on the property of a domestic dispute call.

That week had been pure torture; Edward had taken to sleeping in the on-call doctor's room at the hospital, because their townhouse had been too silent without Bella's presence in it. Bella was an editor for a small publishing house, and often had the luxury of working from home. Edward had become so accustomed to having her there that he couldn't stand her absence. He had hoped that no one would notice that he hadn't left the hospital in seventy-two hours, and that he checked his texts with near-religious devotion.

Dr. Newton didn't miss it though. Edward had woken up from a brief nap between rounds to find that his iPhone wasn't on the pillow where he had put it before drifting off. He had frantically searched the bed and the surrounding floor, nearly tearing his untidy hair out in his frustration when he had heard Mike giggling over by the lockers. Edward instantly knew that Newton had something to do with his missing gadget. He had stormed over to the bank of lockers where Newton sat, scrolling through _Edward's_ phone, reading _Edward's_ private texts to _Bella_ in a high, breathy falsetto. Edward wrenched the phone from the oaf's hands after a brief tussle.

Carlisle had been upset, but Edward promised not to complain about Newton's immature invasion of his privacy, if Mike promised not to complain about his three broken fingers and dislocated thumb. Edward swore that Mike had gotten off easy, to which Carlisle shook his head at him and grumbled something about Emmett's influence as he walked away.

Edward wanted to forget that week had ever happened, and so he was taking Bella to The Highland Inn-a cozy B&B on the San Juan Islands. Alice had assured him that it was the only honeymoon destination in the San Juan Islands to be recommended by Martha Stewart. Why that mattered, Edward wasn't sure; he was more interested by the inn's quiet seclusion from the hustle and bustle of Seattle and the hospital.

Stretching out with a groan, Edward pulled the rumpled and tangled covers over his head before curling back around the pillow. Edward took a big breath, expecting to experience the luscious scent of freesias and strawberries, but instead he smelled…something burning, along with a startled exclamation from downstairs.

Edward immediately abandoned the bed, hardly taking the time to make sure his pants were on straight before he thundered down the stairs and burst into the kitchen. There he was met with a hazy cloud just as the smoke detector started wailing. Bella stood on a stool, clutching a washcloth in her hand and waving Edward's crepe pan in the air in an attempt to move the smoke away from the alarm, though she was more successful in splattering the thin crepe batter around her.

"Damn smoke alarm… Wake the dead…" she muttered as she nearly waved herself right off the stool. Edward rushed forward to catch her around the hips and steady her on the stool before he helped her step down.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Bella looked up at his hair, which resembled a bronze Albert Einstein from his tossing and turning and general bed-hogging. Her eyes moved slowly down from his hair and took in his jade eyes and his pursed lips while he surveyed the mess in the kitchen. Following the line of his neck down his chest, past his hips and straight down to the floor, Bella laughed at his haphazard attempt at clothing. Instantly her hand was at her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter.

That only pulled Edward's attention back to her, though.

"What?" he questioned again.

"Your- or should I say my, sweats are on backwards."

"Huh?" Edward looked down, confused, only to find that his lower-half was encased in Bella's maroon sweats emblazoned with "ASU SUNDEVILS" down the front, well, currently the rear, of one leg. That wouldn't be so bad, except that Sparky the Sun Devil was no longer grinning mischievously on the _bum_ of said sweatpants.

"If I remember correctly, you graduated from Harvard, not some _lowly state college_," Bella teased. "Or did you just want in my pants that badly?" Edward met her gaze, chagrined, and more than a little affected by her words.

"Well, it's your fault for having such things just lying around. What does a tiny little thing like you need extra-large sweat pants for anyways?" he teased.

"Can you deny that they're comfortable?" Bella asked with a smirk.

"Hmm. No, I can't say that I could. I may have to spend more time in these pants," Edward said cheekily, expecting his favorite rosy blush to bloom on her porcelain face.

"Edward!" Bella said in a shocked tone. "It would be more fun _without_ them."

Edward's mouth dropped open; Bella raised an eyebrow at his gobsmacked expression before she laughed and moved past him to set the pan back on the stove. Just as she brushed by him, Bella gave Edward a saucy smack to the rear and continued on as though nothing had happened.

Clearing his throat a moment later, Edward turned and repeated his earlier question. "What are you doing, exactly?"

"I'm making crepes, of course," Bella explained. Edward's eyebrows met his hair-line as he took in the scattered flour, egg shells, butter wrappers, and milk carton.

"How's that going?" he asked innocently.

"Well…" Bella held up the pan once more, showing the encrusted remnants of the crepe that she had attempted. Then, she gestured to a sad little pile of her other attempts. Most were too thick, some had enormous holes, and others were overdone.

"How about a little French Crepe, 101?" Edward offered.

"Sounds lovely," Bella said, pulling the wash cloth away from her hand with a hiss.

"What happened?!" Edward asked, looking at the blister welling up on Bella's palm.

"I swirled a little too enthusiastically?" Bella said, more as a question than a statement.

"How about a little remedial kitchen first aid lessons as well?" Edward teased.

"I'm not that clumsy in the kitchen!" Bella protested. At Edward's look, she relented. "Ok, maybe I am."

"If I weren't a doctor, we'd have reached our insurance deductible before April was over," Edward said with a laugh as he inspected the small burn. "It's second degree, but it's small." Edward rinsed the washcloth out under cool water and folded it into quarters before he pressed it to her hand again. "Hold this there until it stops stinging, and _don't_ pop that blister," he warned her with a knowing look.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Bella said with a teasing indifference.

"I'll make up some new batter. _You_ go sit over there and keep that compress on. When the batter's ready, I'll teach you how to tame that swirl," Edward said it with a wink and a nod towards the kitchen barstools.

If only every doctor she had ever seen had Edward's bedside manner. Of course a wink from wrinkly old Dr. Beanstock, her childhood pediatrician, would have been more disturbing than the twitchy, hairy mole on his left cheek. Not to mention Dr. Carols, her ob-gyn. That would just be creepy. Edward's soft laugh pulled her from her musings.

"Did someone feed you vinegar to get that look on your face?" he joked. Bella did blush this time. Edward had to work with Dr. Carols occasionally, when a pregnant patient was brought into the ER. No need to make things more awkward than they already were.

"I was just thinking...it's nothing important."

"Ok," Edward relented, taking his crepe pan over to the sink to scrape the hardened batter off of it.

"I didn't ruin your pan, did I?" Bella asked sheepishly. "I know it wouldn't be the same as your pan from France, but we could always get you another one if I did."

"No. It just needs a good soak and a scrub." Edward appreciated her concern. His beloved pan had been his most prized possession from his study abroad in England. One of his flatmates had been French, and had taught him how to make crepes, among other things, and had given him the pan as a gesture of friendship when Edward had returned home.

Setting the pan aside to dry, Edward started in on the batter, measuring ingredients with practiced precision.

"What do you think, doc? Will it survive?" Bella quipped when Edward tediously sliced two separate tablespoons worth of butter from the stick.

"Ha, ha, laugh it up, Bella. It melts better this way, and I think you'll find that the secret to this batter is to add the thoroughly melted butter last."

"Ah, the mighty crepe-whisperer imparts his wisdom," Bella laughed. Edward laughed with Bella, before waggling his finger at her after he put the greased pan on to heat.

"Just you wait, I'll show you what else I can whisper," he said.

"I'll be impatiently awaiting your demonstration," Bella purred.

"Ok, swirly girl. Come here and I'll show you how it's done."

"Swirly girl? Can you please think of a name that doesn't sound like it involves high school bathrooms?"

"Your wish, my command. How about, _crepe whisperette?"_

"Try again."

"Hmm. Crepes Bella-zette?" Edward played along, stepping closer to Bella with each name.

"You're killin' me Smalls!" Bella couldn't resist the quote.

" Sugar dumpling? Puddin' pie? Sweet cheeks?"

"Edward, you keep this up, and you won't be seeing any 'sweet cheeks' anytime soon."

"Angel divine, woman of my desire?" he said, coming to stand right in front of her stool and cradling her face in his hands.

"Getting closer, but you're still pushing it," Bella giggled.

"Goddess? Soul mate? Perfect?" Edward whispered each endearment, and punctuated each one with a soft kiss on her nose and cheeks. Bella pulled him in closer and kissed him full on the lips, showing him just what his words meant to her. For a few minutes, time stopped. Bella's lips were all that Edward could think of. His lips occupied her mind.

Until that burning smell returned.

"Oh! My pan! It's too hot now…" Edward murmured after kissing Bella once, twice, three times more.

"Sorry," Bella murmured as Edward turned down the stove.

"I'm not," Edward said with a laugh. Bella couldn't help but join him.

A few minutes (and kisses) later, the pan was the correct temperature. Edward prepared his cooking area, having the mixing bowl and measuring cup beside the stove within easy reach.

"I'll make the first couple, and you watch. Then, I'll help you do it." Edward explained.

Bella watched, spellbound as Edward measured a careful quarter-cup of the batter in one hand and lifted the pan off the stove with the other.

"The trick is to angle the pan correctly." He showed how he tilted the pan, and Bella nodded, her eyes glued on Edward's arms and hands. "Start at the top, but don't pour the batter all in the same spot; spread it as wide as you can. As soon as it hits the pan, rotate your hand and allow the batter to completely coat the surface before it cooks."

"That's what I did," Bella grumped.

"It takes some practice," Edward admitted.

"You make it look so easy."

"Practice makes perfect," Edward said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"You're incorrigible!"

"You love it."

"Of course I do," Bella agreed. She hugged him from behind, watching his movements as he made crepe after perfect crepe.

"Ok, I think it's your turn."

"What, we haven't set the smoke detector off enough today?" Bella joked.

"Come on. I'll help you." With that, Edward switched positions with Bella, putting the pan in her hand, and positioning his hand directly over hers on the handle. He did the same thing with the measuring cup; his hand over hers. Edward directed her arms and hands in scooping up the batter and swirling the pan until it was perfectly coated, and back on the stove to cook before flipping. The heat from the stove was nearly as hot as the warmth that was conducted between their bodies as Edward moved with her, directing her, and every so often, dropping a kiss on her neck.

"This is so much sexier with you than with Gerard."

"Is this how Gerard taught you?" Bella asked impishly.

"No!" Edward quickly denied. "I'm very glad that Gerard never had to try this particular teaching technique. I just watched him a few times, and filled in the rest with raw talent. Besides," Edward paused, taking a deep breath of the scent he loved so much. "I much prefer your strawberries and freesias to his roquefort and brie.

Edward turned off the stove, and flipped the last crepe onto their tidy pile. Bella turned around in Edward's arms, eager to finish where they had left off earlier. Just as before, their kisses started soft and slow, but soon grew in heat and intensity until Edward and Bella were nearly undone.

"What about the crepes?" Edward asked between kisses.

"They'll keep for a couple hours," Bella replied. "Last one to the bedroom is a moldy chunk of Roquefort," she whispered into his ear before turning with a giggle and racing up the stairs as fast as her klutziness would allow. Edward decided to give her a moment's head start.

He would catch her on the stairs. It truly didn't get much better.

**A/N: Well, I hope you have all enjoyed this little tidbit! Cookward is pretty perfect, no? **

**Are you wondering who exactly Edward had emblazoned across his rear, er, front? There is a link on my profile for a picture of Sparky if you're interested. I think it adds to the humor of the moment to see the impish pitchfork-brandishing little Sun Devil:)**

**Winners for the Mystics will be announced October 18, 2009, so check back to see if Dr. Magic-Crepe-hands Masen won "Mr. Perfect."**

**Check out the other nominations for some excellent story recommendations:) There is a link on my profile.**

**As usual, please let me know if you enjoyed this. It really does make my day:)**

**ebhg:)**


	3. Messing with his Head

**A/N: Thank you to Justine Lark and Gleena for reviewing this for me- their suggestions make this story so much better:) Don't forget to check out their stories, either! **

**Disclaimer: Twilight's not mine.**

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**Messing with his Head**

"Dr. Masen, there's a new patient waiting to be evaluated in triage," a nurse said in passing as Edward exited a patient's room.

"Ok, I'm on it," he responded, and turned towards triage, stopping by the nurse's desk to pick up the waiting patient's chart. A quick look at his phone showed a new text from Bella.

_**Hope you get home soon. Miss you.**_

Edward smiled despite his exhaustion. He quickly replied, _**Missing you too**__. _It seemed like the hospital was trying to squeeze every possible moment out of the last six months of Edward's residency. He had been at the hospital for close to fifty-two hours now. The days-long shifts and the endless-sleepless nights were never mentioned in the med school brochures. Now Edward knew what Carlisle had been talking about when his uncle had said that the life of a resident was owned by the hospital.

_Williams, Evelyn- 32 years old, Gravida 1, Para 0-0-0-0_.

_First timer. This should be fun_, thought Edward.

"Mrs. Williams?" he called as he reached the privacy curtain and knocked softly on the wall before pulling back the screen. The woman lying on her side in the bed looked blearily at the sleeping man slumped over in the chair beside her and rolled her eyes before she turned to Edward. He was half-expecting her wide, startled eyes and her soft noise of indignation, but Edward had still hoped that he might make it through one night without it. "I'm Dr. Masen, I'll be monitoring you tonight…this morning," Edward amended, reminding himself that it was after three AM.

"Where's Dr. Mendez? Or Dr. Cheney? I've only seen them at my regular appointments," the woman interrupted, smoothing the hospital gown over her stomach and pulling the covering sheet higher over her body. There was an underlying panic in the tone of her voice. Edward braced himself- this already wasn't going well.

"They aren't on call at the moment. Their partner, Dr. Morrison is our attending tonight."

"Then what are you?" the woman asked suspiciously as she began subtly combing through her hair with her fingers. Edward fought the eye roll that threatened his poker face.

"I'm a resident here at the hospital. I assure you-"

"So, you're not a real doctor?"

Edward closed his eyes and counted to ten before he opened them and smiled at Mrs. Williams. He was surprised when she blushed. Generally, no one bold enough to ask if Edward wasn't actually a doctor would be embarrassed by their question.

"I can assure you, I am a medical doctor. Residency is a fancy word for specialty training."

"So you're a doctor, just not an OB."

"Correct."

"I-I-I think, I think that I'd prefer an actual OB," the woman said, tripping over her words. Edward had been expecting this. It wasn't the first time that an expectant mother had taken one look at him and asked for a different doctor.

"I'll go get Margaret; she's a certified nurse-midwife, and she's had over twenty years of experience," Edward assured the woman.

"OK," she replied, looking a little dazed. Perhaps she was having a contraction…Edward turned around and immediately sought out Margaret.

This was exactly why Edward was fairly certain that he was _not_ obstetrician material. Currently, he was on his last week of the hospital's mandatory labor and delivery rotation; he couldn't wait to get back to the emergency department. Within the first few days, Edward had decided that obstetrics was his least favorite specialty.

While there were tense moments and the occasional c-section, over all, there was a lot of waiting around, followed by lots of screaming, swearing, fatigue and instant adoration. The emergency rotation had been thrilling; the fast-paced environment of trauma medicine caused his heart to pound and his adrenaline to rush, but Edward didn't really feel the same pull in _delivering_ babies. He couldn't deny the tugs on his heart-strings though, when he held one of the wrinkly newborn babies.

_Don't even go there, _he thought. He and Bella had agreed when they had gotten engaged that they would wait until he was out of his residency to start trying to get pregnant. Labor and delivery just wasn't the most conducive to that resolve. Edward was content to wait until Bella was ready. At least that's what he told himself, until someone asked him to pose with their newborn before they were discharged. But he refused to say anything to Bella; it was her body, and he wasn't going to push her.

"Margaret?" he asked as nicely as possible as soon as he saw her sitting at the nurses' station. Her salt-and-pepper hair was tied in a neat ponytail, a sure sign that she had just come back from a break. Perfect.

"Another one?" she laughed, putting down her mug of tea and reaching a hand out for the chart without even looking up from her magazine.

"I must have 'Doogie' tattooed on my forehead or something. This is the third one in two weeks!" He said, slightly exasperated. "It wouldn't be nearly so frustrating if those same women didn't turn around the next day and ask me to pose with the infants that I didn't even help to deliver! Is it just hormones? Labor nerves?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Margaret asked with a smile.

"Obviously not; are you saying you do?" Edward asked, genuinely curious.

"They just want to take a piece of you home, Dr. Mcdreamy. Even if it is just a photo. The babies are just a convenient excuse." Margaret's eyes twinkled, and Edward felt as though he were still missing something.

"Come again?"

"You are too intimidating," she explained, which wasn't helpful at all. She was only getting more cryptic.

"I am perfectly polite and amiable to every one of them!" Edward protested, though he had a sinking feeling that this conversation would end with him red-faced. Emmett and Jasper and more than one of his med school buddies had always ribbed him about being a pretty boy. In fact, before he had a wedding band to deter the bolder patients, he'd had business cards and hastily scribbled phone numbers left at the front desk for him quite frequently. But none of the patients he had ever seen in the ER had turned him away.

"Oh, Edward, it has nothing to do with your bedside manner, or how young you look. Picture yourself in their position. You go to your GP for a routine physical, the whole turn-your-head-and-cough-nine-yards, and instead of your balding, middle-aged physician, a gorgeous swimsuit model comes in, slapping on the latex. Are you ready for your exam now?"

Edward was speechless. He thought that comparing him to a swimsuit model was a bit extreme. He opened his mouth to protest, but promptly shut it again. Instead Edward narrowed his eyes and glared at Margaret half-heartedly. He turned around to walk away, red-faced, and Margaret laughed.

"I rest my case," she chortled. "Go enjoy that racket down the hall, Edward."

Shaking his head at Margaret as she moved towards the triage, Edward decided to go ahead and spend a few minutes at the holiday party the night-shift nurses had organized. Then, he needed to try and get an hour or two of sleep.

"Edward?" a familiar voice asked.

"What patient am I seeing?" Edward grumbled, feeling less awake than he wanted to. He hadn't been asleep long enough.

"None, actually. Your phone alarm has been buzzing for about ten minutes now." Edward knew that voice. He blearily opened one eye and looked at his uncle's sympathetic face. "You've been here too long, Edward. You need to go home to your wife."

The mentioning of his wife never failed to put a silly grin on Edward's face, though in his exhaustion, it looked more like someone had spiked the eggnog he had enjoyed at the staff Christmas party just two hours before. A quiet chuckle to the side gave Margaret away. Only then did Edward realize that hers was the first voice he had heard.

"Bella, I'm sure, is anxious to see you home today. I have it on good authority," Carlisle looked to Margaret briefly, "that you've been here for two days and counting. I realize you're not in my department this rotation, but I'm ordering you home, Edward."

"My work here is done," Margaret joked, and then she left Edward and Carlisle to themselves.

"Thanks, Carlisle. Matthews was supposed to be here, but he unexpectedly went to Vail for the holidays. Left us a bit short-handed, and it would seem that babies don't care that it's Christmas Eve."

"No, no they don't," Carlisle laughed. "Jasper was nearly one of them. But, your cousin was delivered so quickly, he barely squeaked by on the 23rd instead. 11:59 PM. Esme was so disappointed that the dinner she had planned was all for naught. That was the first year that your mom and dad flew from Chicago instead of driving; surprised us with the news that you were on the way, actually. Poor Elizabeth was so tired and nauseated that she was never happier than to hear that the fancy dinner party was cancelled. Instead we sat around Esme's hospital room and ate take-out Chinese food. Ed just laughed and told Liz that-"

"It doesn't get much better than this," Edward finished with a smile. It was hard not to miss his parents on the holidays, but Edward had so much more to look forward to these days. Namely, the beautiful brunette who was waiting for him at home and the getaway Edward had planned for the upcoming week.

"Come on; my shift is over too. I'll drive you home. If Esme heard I let you drive when you're so tired you can hardly open one eye, I'd be on the couch for a month." Edward laughed with his uncle and followed him slowly to the car.

The next thing Edward was aware of was Carlisle jostling his shoulder. He had rested his head against the window for only a moment; he hadn't meant to sleep the whole drive home.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean to pass out on you," he apologized ruefully.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell Esme that you slept all the way home and I'll win brownie points for making sure you got home safe," Carlisle said with a laugh. Edward chuckled; Esme _was _fiercely protective of her only nephew.

A rapid knock on the driver's window brought both men around. Carlisle lowered the window to meet Bella's anxious face.

"Carlisle?! Have you heard from Edward? I've tried his cell, but it goes straight to voicemail, and I called the hospital, and Margaret said he'd gone home, but his Volvo was still in the lot… Edward!" Bella exclaimed, noticing that Edward sat in the passenger seat.

"Sorry, Love. I guess my phone died. Carlisle brought me home so I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel," Edward explained.

"Sorry, Bella. We'll call you before we leave next time. Make sure this young man gets some rest this week, hmm?" Carlisle's eyes sparkled with mischief. Bella's face turned red, and Edward rolled his eyes as he climbed out of the car, eager to greet his wife for the first time in nearly three days.

"You get more and more like Emmett every year, Carlisle," Edward chuckled.

"No, you just have reason to notice it, now," Carlisle winked. Edward shook his head and he and Bella waved as Carlisle drove away, smiling to himself.

As soon as the Mercedes turned the corner out of sight, Bella pulled Edward around and jumped up onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Edward buried his face into her neck and breathed deeply, enjoying her closeness.

"I love you," Edward murmured, without pulling away or putting Bella down.

"I love you, more," Bella insisted playfully.

"Please, there's no contest. But Mrs. Deitrich is watching us from out her window."

"Let her look. That old woman needs a little more excitement," Bella laughed.

"Oh, in that case," Edward teased while walking over to their townhome.

"Edward, what are you planning?" Bella asked in a stern voice.

"I'm giving Mrs. Deitrich some excitement, what else?"

"Edward!" Bella squealed, just as Edward pressed her into the wall and claimed her lips with his. Bella stopped complaining and gave herself over to the sensations Edward was provoking. Just as Bella buried her hands in Edward's unruly hair, there was a shout from across the street.

"Don't make me call the police on your public indecency! I ought to put my hose on you two!"

Edward burst out laughing and let Bella down before they ran laughing into their townhouse. They stopped in the entry foyer, giggling and leaning into one another as they caught their breath. Edward strode into the living room and knelt on the couch, leaning over to look inconspicuously through the blinds at the elderly woman stomping all the way back into her house after collecting her newspaper in a huff. Bella joined Edward on the couch and leaned into his back. She felt like wrapping herself around him and never letting go. It had been a long three days.

"You gave her some excitement all right. Let's skip town before she gives Emmett a reason to tease us for the rest of our lives!" Bella said between bouts of laughter.

"I think you have a plan there, Mrs. Masen. But I need some sleep first, and didn't you have a manuscript to turn in?"

"That's the beauty of it. I finished it early, so we're free to go. I called ahead and arranged an earlier check-in time. I'll drive, and you can sleep on the way."

"You are a devious woman, you know that?"

"That's why you love me," Bella replied smugly.

"Yes, among a few other reasons," Edward teased.

"Get in the car, mister. Our bags are packed, loaded and ready to go. We're just waiting on you."

"Eager, are we?" Edward couldn't help but goad her.

"You have no idea." Bella responded seriously. Her eyes were alight with a blazing intensity that made Edward feel as though he were melting.

"Can I at least shower first? I've been in these scrubs for too long."

"I guess that's permissible," Bella said mock-sternly.

"I am very, very tired though. I may need help with all my hard-to-reach places," Edward said in an innocent tone.

"We can't have you miss a spot, now can we?" Bella teased back.

There was never quite enough hot water, Edward mused an hour later. Bella was drying her hair in the bathroom, and Edward couldn't help but sit back and admire her towel-clad form from his position at the end of their bed. She was bent at the waist while drying her hair upside-down; mesmerizing Edward with each movement of the hair dryer.

Bella stood up abruptly, allowing her now-dry hair to cascade around her shoulders in a thick mass. She groaned and pressed her hands into her lower back to relieve the ache there from bending so far forward for so long. Edward was instantly met with a vision of Bella bracing her back while her stomach was swollen with pregnancy and he shook his head to clear it just as quickly. Edward was certain that working in labor and delivery was starting to mess with his mind.

"Esme doesn't mind that we'll be out of town for Christmas?" Bella asked. Edward fought to keep a straight face. That was the third time that Bella had asked that question since Edward had proposed their anniversary getaway. Instead he concentrated on Bella's movements as she dropped the towel and got dressed.

"No. I think she understands the life of a resident all too well, let alone being newlyweds on top of it. She knows that we need some time to ourselves right now. She would love to have us, but I think she understands. How did Renee take it?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"You know my mother. She complained for ten minutes that she hardly sees me anymore, and then she gushed for twenty about how romantic Christmas on the island would be, and how lovely it is that you're putting so much effort into our anniversary. I was afraid that she was going to book airplane tickets on the internet before we even hung up. Thankfully, Phil was around to rein her in. I don't want to imagine my mother knocking on our door while we're in the middle of things."

"The middle of things?" Edward asked coyly.

"You know exactly what I mean, Edward. Or do you need a demonstration?" Bella teased, just as coy as Edward had been. He was having a hard time thinking coherently.

"A demonstration wouldn't be a bad idea," he managed.

"Good. Let's get on the road so I can show you at the inn." Bella winked at Edward's indignant snort and walked as gracefully as she could out of the room. The effect was shattered when she clipped the doorframe with her shoulder, but Edward was gob smacked all the same.

Edward was drowsing in the passenger seat before Bella merged onto the I-5. She hadn't been looking forward to tackling rush-hour traffic on the way out of town. There was a reason she preferred working from home, after all. So Bella was happy that Edward had insisted on getting a shower and whipping up a couple of quick slices of French toast before they left for more than his pseudo-economical showering or breakfast skills. Traffic avoidance aside, Bella couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the memory of said showering skills. Edward was right. There was never enough hot water when he had so many hard-to-reach places. She had been _surprised _to find that she had just as many personally inaccessible places, though Edward had been more than happy to take care of them.

The drive was quiet, the highway pleasantly devoid of other vehicles at nine in the morning, regardless of the fact that it was Christmas Eve. Edward slept until he felt the car slow down as Bella turned onto the Memorial Highway headed west towards Anacortes.

"We're making good time," Edward said blearily as he sat up and watched the scenery roll past his window. He wasn't used to riding in the passenger seat, though he had to admit, Bella looked incredibly tempting driving his Volvo and singing unashamedly to the Christmas music she had turned on. It made him want to replace her rust-bucket all the more. Before long, they entered the city limits of Anacortes and made their way to the line for the ferry to Friday Harbor.

"We've got a bit of time to kill before the next ferry leaves," Bella said as she turned down the stereo and shifted the car into park.

"Time to kill!" he protested. "Why did you make me stop ravishing you so that we could get here so early?"

"I used superhuman willpower," she replied, cheerfully teasing him. "Oh, you asked _why _I stopped you, not _how_. It's the holiday travel season. There's no getting around the wait. I'm sorry, love."

"Well, I think we should use this time to discuss exactly what we're going to do when we get there. First, I am going to unbutton your shirt, and every time I open a button, I'm going to kiss--"

"Edward!" she yelped, eyes wide and sparkling. "You're torturing yourself just as much as you're torturing me."

He chuckled. "I don't think that's possible. But okay, maybe that's not the best topic for right now. What do you suggest?"

"Care to read to me?" she asked winsomely.

"I suppose," he sighed theatrically. "Since our options are so sadly limited. What did you bring?" Edward pulled the canvas bag of bottled water, snacks and reading material out of the back seat.

"I brought a couple options. I wasn't sure what you would want to read more, _Pride and Prejudice_ or _A Christmas Carol_."

Edward made a face. "Regency romance or social critique; couldn't have brought any _light _reading, eh?" he teased.

"Classics, both of them," Bella tossed back playfully. Edward gave her a smoldering look; he loved it when she got passionate and defensive. Her lips pursed and her chin tightened just so. Bella knew exactly what the look he was giving her meant. "You are so bad," she giggled. "We are in line for the ferry!"

"Doesn't mean I can't kiss my wife," Edward argued with a raised brow. Knowing it was useless to fight it, Bella was the first to move; closing the distance between her and Edward in one lunge. He caught her eagerly, claiming her lips with his and tangling his hands into her hair. Edward pulled back before they got _too _carried away a few minutes later. They were both breathing heavily and the windows were fogged in the chill winter air outside. "_Pride and Prejudice,_ then?" he said in a strangled voice.

"Sounds like a plan," Bella said, sounding equally strained. Edward pulled the bag open and peered inside.

"Mmmm. You got jerky…" Edward couldn't resist opening the package of jerky and digging in. Bella smirked at his enthusiasm for the desiccated meat.

"I don't know how you can stand to eat that," she laughed. Edward merely grinned and bit off another piece before he began to read. The next hour as they waited for their ferry was difficult. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's banter wasn't helping to diminish the tension that was building between Edward and Bella. Once they had driven aboard the ferry, they decided to walk around on the deck and take in the sea air. Otherwise, Mrs. Dietrich wouldn't be the only one threatening them with a hose today.

Edward wrapped his arms around Bella and led her to the front of the ferry's observation deck. They both watched in awe as the crisp blue waters and the tree-covered shoreline eased by them. It was beautiful. Then Bella snorted. Edward looked at her in confusion, and then followed her gaze to a young couple reenacting the _Titanic_ 'flying' scene at the prow.

"What?" Edward asked her, curious. Neither of them particularly cared for that movie; why was Bella so amused?

"Please," she scoffed. "They wouldn't know a real romance if it bit them in the nose," Bella said, wrinkling her own nose as she said it. Then Edward could see the guilt on her face as she thought about what she had said about complete strangers.

"Should we offer them life jackets?" Edward teased, and Bella blushed anew. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. _My kitten-tigress feels guilty about letting out her claws_, he thought.

"Shut it," Bella laughed, pressing her cold face into Edward's warm neck as he wrapped her in his arms.

"How's this for romantic?" he asked, pressing his lips to hers.

"It would be incredibly romantic Edward…" Bella started.

"I sense a 'but' coming," Edward said ruefully.

"But…you taste like turkey jerky," she said as seriously as she could. Edward was silent for a split second before he burst into laughter and began to tickle Bella in earnest.

"Stop! Ha ha! No! Oh! Aahhhahhhggh! Edward! We are in public! Ok, ok, ok, UNCLE! UNCLE! UNCLE!!!"

"You are so cute," Edward murmured into her ear. "I love you."

"Please, I love you more," Bella replied.

"There's no contest," Edward murmured. "And as soon as we get to the inn, I'll show you exactly how much." Bella shivered.

"I can't wait."

Edward smiled, pulling Bella's body flush with his own. He couldn't help but recall his earlier vision of Bella, rounded with their child, and how differently she would fit against him then.

"Me neither," he whispered before he kissed her softly. He couldn't help but wonder though, which fantasy he was more anxious for.

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**A/N: Don't you want to get on a ferry to San Juan Island now? I sure do…**

**Thanks for reading! Please review:)**


	4. The Highland Inn

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing...**

**My usual thanks have to go to Gleena and Justine Lark, for being lovely beta readers. You can thank the both of them for making this so much better by reading their stories and leaving them a review:)**

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**Ch****4** **The ****Highland Inn**

The ferry ride lasted just under an hour and a half. Edward thought that he might go crazy if it took much longer. Bella kept giving him flirtatious glances as they slowly walked the length of the boat three times. Finally, with a bit over ten minutes of their journey left, they decided to get back to their Volvo so that they would be ready to leave.

"No funny business," Bella warned as they headed down the stairway to the vehicle level.

"Me? Who's been giving all the loaded looks?" Edward teased.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bella said, though her blush gave her away.

"You are so bad," Edward laughed.

"It's entirely _your_ fault. If you weren't so handsome, I wouldn't have to look at you like that," Bella said as innocently as possible. Then she sped up, trying to beat Edward to their car. He followed her closely, knowing that there was a high likelihood that Bella would find something to stumble on; whether it was her own feet or her pant leg or some random bit of debris remained to be seen.

"You can't catch me," Bella taunted when she looked over her shoulder and saw that she had gained a few feet on Edward. With that, she bolted, running as fast as her feet would allow. She had managed to surprise Edward thoroughly enough that she had run a full ten feet before he gave chase.

"What do I get if I do?" Edward asked playfully. He knew that his longer stride would allow him to catch her if he wanted to. "I guess the real question is _what__do you__want if you win_?" he amended.

"I think you should know that by now, Edward!"

He decided to let her win. Bella reached the back of the Volvo just steps ahead of him. She reached out and tagged the trunk before doing a victory dance. Edward couldn't help but smile.

"Teasing your husband, running in a parking area, doing that little celebration…you've been spending time with Emmett, haven't you," Edward deadpanned. Bella stuck her tongue out at him.

"I can't help it. I had to be the parent so often growing up I never got to do those things. With you I can," Bella said as she wrapped her arms around Edward's waist and gave him a soft kiss which grew into a series of slow, sweet kisses against the back of the car. At her words, Edward resolved yet again to wait for Bella to be ready for children. He wouldn't be working labor and delivery after they got back from their vacation; it would likely be easier for him to be patient at that point. His next rotation was pediatrics, which would have one of two results. Either he would want kids even more, or he would never want them at all. He hoped it was the former.

_HONK!_

"Get in the car, Edward. You are going to get us in trouble," Bella said impishly.

"Me? Who was the one begging to be caught?" Edward laughed back.

"Again- All. Your. Fault." Bella enunciated each word with a soft poke to Edward's chest, before finally landing a teasing kiss on the end of his nose and hopping eagerly into the passenger seat as they both felt the ferry slow to a stop in Friday Harbor.

It was a twenty minute drive to the inn once they got through the long queue of cars waiting to disembark the ferry. To say that Edward was anxious was an understatement. Though they would celebrate their first anniversary (the time at which Renee warned them that the honeymoon would be over) during their week at the inn, Edward sincerely hoped that their playful antics and flirtatious banter would never stop.

"Where's the fire?" Bella asked fifteen minutes into the drive across the island. He glanced incredulously at her for a second before he registered the smirk she was fighting.

"When we get to the inn, I'll show you," Edward said casually. He was pleased to see Bella pull her lower lip into her mouth and subconsciously press her right foot into the floorboard. "The last I checked, Volvo's didn't come equipped with a passenger-side gas pedal," he murmured teasingly, surreptitiously letting off of the accelerator.

"Hush, you." Bella accompanied her playful admonition with a light smack to his upper arm. "Why are you slowing down?" she asked a moment later, as she realized that the speedometer had slipped at least two notches. Edward couldn't help but grin mischievously and waggle his eyebrows at her in a manner that Emmett would be proud of before he pressed on the gas once more.

Finally, the Highland Inn came into view; the white wood-frame house rose out of the lush greenery on a hill overlooking the ocean. Bella gasped at the sheer beauty surrounding the secluded inn. The cold December weather didn't match the crisp, sunny photos on the island travel brochure, but the scenery was undeniably stunning. The inn was decorated in festive holiday trimmings, reminding Bella for the first time that afternoon that it was in fact Christmas Eve.

"Are we exchanging gifts tonight, or are we waiting for morning?" she asked, eager to give Edward the gift that she had gotten for him.

"Hmm. If I say tonight, does that mean that we can stay in bed all day tomorrow?" Edward asked hopefully as he parked their car and cut the engine.

"Sounds like a plan," Bella agreed.

It took about fifteen minutes for them to check in and chat with Betty, the innkeeper, before they were shown their room. Their host walked ahead of them with a huge smile on her face, glancing back and smiling even wider every few feet.

"I'm sure you'll love this room. It's our whale watching suite. You'll have an excellent view of the sunset over the water every night; it's usually too cold this time of year for the deck, but if you'd like, I can serve you some hot chocolate out there," their hostess said cheerfully. "I've not got any other guests until New Year's Eve, so please, anything you need, feel free to ask."

When they got to the second floor landing, they were met with two sets of double doors. Betty moved to one set and opened both doors with a flourish.

"Here you are, dears; Merry Christmas. I hope your stay is a pleasant one." Edward almost didn't hear the click as the doors softly closed behind their hostess.

Finally they were alone. Bella was delighted by the charming beauty of their suite. Everything was perfect, lit by the soft light of the overcast late afternoon and the orange glow of the low-burning fire in the fireplace. There was even a tiny artificial Christmas tree on the table of the breakfast nook tucked into the bay window and a rose lying in the center of the bed.

"I can see why you chose this room," Bella said with a slight chuckle. Edward turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"And why is that, do you think?"

"With these panoramic views available from the bed, we won't have to leave at all to do any sightseeing. Photos might be a bit problematic, though," Bella said mock-seriously.

"Oh?" Edward was impatient to end this conversation. The bed was already turned down.

"Unless we want to make a spectacle of ourselves, I don't think your family would appreciate the view I plan on enjoying," Bella said airily. With that, Edward growled and picked Bella up. He tossed her onto the plush bed and quickly covered her body with his own. The rose, unfortunately didn't make it.

"Can I give you your gift now?" Edward murmured. From their place amongst the downy comforter and pillows, they watched the sunset break through the clouds. He was enjoying the sensations that she provoked as she rubbed her toes along his calf.

"You mean that wasn't it?" Bella asked playfully, combing through her hair and finding the remnants of the rose petals and leaves in her hair. Thankfully their hostess had had the foresight to de-thorn the flower.

"No, as much as I'm sure you would prefer that, I did actually get you something," Edward started hesitantly.

"Ok." Bella folded her arms and grumped a bit. "I just don't like that you spend so much on me."

"You do realize that, as my wife, you are a joint account holder now," Edward said cautiously. It was an old argument. "Furthermore, you make three grand more per year than me, so don't say that you don't contribute. My inheritance wasn't _that _hefty."

"I know. You won't be a resident forever, so I'm not going to make more than you for very much longer. You know how I am. A penny saved is a penny earned. I want to be ready for a rainy day."

"Bella? We live in Seattle. There are lots of rainy days," Edward said jokingly. He stroked her upper arm lazily with the end of his index finger and thrilled at the goosebumps that rose on her skin.

"All the more reason to save money. You know what I mean," Bella said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, I also know that it is tradition to give gifts to your loved ones for special occasions," Edward argued. Bella reached under the covers and pressed her cold hand right to Edward's thigh.

"Agh! How do your hands get so cold? What did you have to do that for?" he moaned, pulling her hand away from his now goosebump-covered thigh and chafing her hand between both of his.

"It was a gift," she said impishly. "Anyways…you first," Bella insisted. Grinning at her gift-receiving acquiescence, he leapt up and went to their bags. Finding the gift, Edward bolted back into the warmth of the bed.

"Whoa! Now you have cold feet," Bella yelped as his chilled toes encountered hers. Edward grinned boyishly at her.

"It was a gift," he tossed back at her with a smirk. Suddenly they were both tickling each other and trying to out-do the other all the while laughing at their silliness. Bella let out a rather unladylike squawk and several of the pillows fell to the floor. Edward set the wrapped box aside and retrieved them before he pulled Bella into his chest. "I love you," he said as he pressed kisses to her face and found her ear with his teeth.

"I…love you…too," Bella struggled to speak past the attentions that Edward was now lavishing upon her neck. Then the sensations were gone, and Edward sat back with a smirk.

"Good. Merry Christmas," he said as he handed her the gift. Bella gave him a playful glare and took the box from his eager hands.

"What is it?" she asked cautiously. Edward was not known for his restraint when giving gifts.

"Why don't you just open it?" he asked incredulously. Bella shook it before narrowing her eyes. It didn't make much, if any noise. It weighed almost nothing.

"You didn't do anything silly like have a star named after me, did you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Bella, of all the gifts I could give you, why would I name a burning ball of gas after you? Especially one that you'll never be able to visit and rarely ever see in the overcast skies of Seattle?"

"Well, it would be pretty over-the-top," Bella teased.

"My gifts are never over-the-top. They are just well chosen."

Bella stared at Edward over the top of the box, remembering the grand gestures that he had made when they had been dating and the extravagant gifts that he had bestowed upon her once they were engaged. Then they burst out laughing, because they both knew that Edward was lying through his teeth.

"Just remember that the next time you want to replace my perfectly good truck," Bella goaded him. That caused a glint to shine in Edward's eyes.

"Someday, Bella, someday. That truck is a goner," Edward vowed with mock solemnity. "Now open your present already!"

Bella laughed at Edward's eagerness and tore into the paper.

"Cooking classes?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She didn't think that her cooking was bad. Edward hurried to explain before he fell flat on his face.

"It has an emphasis in French cooking. And if you look a little closer, Love, you'll see that it's a couple's course. It's something for us to do together," Edward said.

"Well, I guess my gift was well planned then," Bella said with a smile. Edward raised his eyebrows in anticipation. "You are still such a little kid at Christmas, Edward," she laughed.

"Did you expect anything less, growing up with Emmett and Jasper for cousins?"

"I suppose not," Bella conceded ruefully. She jumped up from the bed when Edward's eyebrows threatened to move permanently into his hairline in his eagerness. "Careful, Edward. If you don't move a facial muscle soon, your face will freeze like that, and I think you'll have a harder time convincing your patients that that M.D. of yours isn't straight out of a box of Cracker Jacks."

Edward's playful indignation was just what Bella was aiming for. She hadn't expected him to jump out of the bed and chase her though. Bella grabbed the wrapped gift and took off with a squeal, laughing as she tried to avoid getting caught and tripping over her own two feet at the same time. Just as she reached the bed, Edward grabbed her from behind and took them both down in a heap. Bella wasted no time getting back under the covers, as they were both chilled from running around the room, though Edward was suddenly a little less interested in opening his gift than he was a few minutes before.

"What-about-your-present-" she struggled half-heartedly to say under the onslaught of his renewed kisses. Edward pulled back minutely and gave her a crooked grin.

"You expect me to let you get away with that little tease? That little squeal? You do realize that I went three days without seeing you, right? Three. Days." Edward punctuated his last two words with kisses.

"I believe I was suffering just as much the last three days. We have a lot to make up for," Bella teased, half-seriously. Edward just smiled and lavished every attention upon her that he'd been aching to do those three days at the hospital.

The room was nearly fully dark when Bella opened her eyes again, realizing that Edward was still asleep against her, his arms wrapped firmly around her middle. The fireplace gave off the only light in the room; the windows were all full-black in the deep of night. Bella shifted in Edward's arms, which caused him to mutter, "You're only three centimeters…I can't give you an epidural…"

Bella began laughing quietly, enjoying the fact that she had heard _him_ say something silly in his sleep for once. She froze though, when he added, "I'm serious, Bella…"

Had he been dreaming about _her_ in labor? Or had his subconscious already switched gears? It wasn't much longer before Edward's head shot upwards in sudden alarm.

"Bella?" he asked groggily, his eyes wide. Then, he looked down to her chest that he had been using as a pillow. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, wiping the moist spot of drool from her skin.

"No problem. Just let me know when I can get that epidural," Bella teased. She enjoyed watching Edward's face and neck turn crimson while he tucked his face into her. Bella could have sworn she heard him quietly moan something about labor and delivery slowly killing him, but Bella wasn't going to press the issue.

"Can I open my present now?" he asked in a muffled voice, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Sure. What happened to it?" Bella questioned, honestly not sure where it had gotten to when they had been distracted mid-gift exchange. Bella smiled. _Distracted indeed_.

"What are you so smug about?" Edward crowed, knowing full well what was on his wife's mind. He was pretty smug himself.

"Nothing," Bella said lightly. She cast her eyes around in the dim light, before she caught the glint of the firelight reflecting off of the shiny bow on Edward's gift. "There it is!"

Bella started to get up, but Edward held her back. "I'll get it; we both know what happens when you get up. I want to open my present before daylight, Love."

Edward smirked at Bella's indignant scoff; her agreement was plainly written in her eyes. He snatched the wrapped box off of the floor and bounded back into the warm enclave of the blankets that Bella had held open for him. Once he was settled and Bella was snuggled into his side once more, he shook the box much as Bella had with hers. He was teasing her, and her eye-roll let him know that she knew it.

"Open it!" She laughed. Edward needed no further encouragement.

"_Authentic French Recipes,_"he read from the cover of the book. "I love it, Bella!" he continued immediately. Edward began flipping through the book, stopping to peruse some of the recipes. "Love? This is in French…" Edward had taken French in college, and living abroad with a French flat-mate had increased his vocabulary and fluency significantly, but that didn't really include many cooking terms.

"Keep looking," Bella prompted. Edward raised his eyebrow in question and dug back into the box.

"_A La Carte: A French/English Dictionary of Cooking Terms. _Thank you, Bella," Edward said sincerely, already paging excitedly through the second book.

"You're welcome, as long as you try a recipe when we get home," Bella teased.

"Bien sur," Edward replied, putting the books aside and leaning in to kiss her. "It just doesn't get much better than this."

Christmas on the island passed quietly. After their lazy Christmas morning in bed, and their long bath in the jetted tub, Edward and Bella took in a local presentation of _A Christmas Carol_ in the afternoon, and spent the evening visiting with Betty. Their hostess had opened the inn after retiring. Though she was nearing 65, she was full of energy and enthusiasm for the bed and breakfast. Bella was surprised to discover that Betty's married daughter was someone she had known when she lived with Charlie in Forks. Edward cringed slightly though, when they got back to their room and Bella reminded him that Betty's daughter, Mrs. Cope, was the red-headed woman who had winked at him in the diner when they had been in Forks to visit Charlie before their wedding.

"Let's just hope that her daughter doesn't feel like visiting this holiday season," Edward mumbled with a nearly imperceptible shiver, much to Bella's amusement.

"No, Betty said that the Copes are in Colorado this year, visiting their children there," Bella reassured him. Her answer improved Edward's mood.

The week passed much too quickly for Edward and Bella; their days were lazily spent in bed or chatting before the fireplace in the den with Betty. On the thirtieth, Betty allowed Edward to commandeer her kitchen for his and Bella's anniversary. With Bella as his admiring audience, he whipped up some crepes and even tried out one of his new French recipes. Betty had some outdoor heaters and a table brought out onto the twinkle-light swathed deck so that Edward and Bella could enjoy their specially prepared French cuisine under the stars.

"This is wonderful, Edward," Bella enthused. Edward was a master with breakfast foods, but it was usually Bella who prepared their dinners.

"Thanks, Love," Edward beamed. He had been relieved that Bella didn't object to moldy cheese. "When do I get to give you your present?" he asked, hoping that she wouldn't object to another gift so soon after receiving her Christmas present.

"Well, did you want to exchange them out here, or go inside and get more comfortable?" she asked, without even a scowl.

"What? No argument?" Edward asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"No. I think I finally have a gift to give you that is worth more than anything you could get me."

Suddenly, Edward's mind was going into overdrive. What could she possibly give him that was worth more than anything he could ever give her? He had an idea, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. Or disappoint Bella if it wasn't what he thought she meant.

"Let's get inside then," he said in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice. If it was what he suspected, he planned on celebrating in a manner not fit for public display. For the first time since they had mentioned gifts, Bella seemed a little nervous.

Edward led Bella through the double doors of their room, glad that while he was able to prepare their anniversary dinner, he didn't have to clean it up. Bella gave him a smile while he drew the curtains and stoked the fire to give off more heat. Edward was pleased to see that Betty had placed a carafe of hot chocolate on their breakfast nook table while they were outside. Edward grabbed the envelope containing Bella's present, then he served them both a mug to sip while they exchanged gifts. Bella joined him with an envelope of her own.

"Ladies first," Edward said, handing Bella her gift. She wasted no time tearing into it.

"Plane tickets?"

"Well, they are paper," Edward said, referencing the traditional first-anniversary gift of something made of paper. Immediately, Bella's mind went to Renee in Florida. They had planned on visiting her and Phil for a weekend in the late spring, but Bella had already booked those tickets. Then Bella noticed the destination airport printed on the tickets.

"Paris?" she asked, awed.

"Oui, ma chére. I had planned to take you to Paris for our next anniversary, but Gerard has invited us to France for his wedding this year and it all just worked out perfectly. We'll be there the week before our visit to Renee. You can't even complain about the cost of the gift, because we're going to the wedding."

"Edward!" Bella gave a playful scowl at Edward's smug grin. "I can't believe it! Paris- I've never been further east than Chicago…"

"It's actually a suburb of Paris; Reims," Edward mused.

"It's perfect," Bella said with a sigh. She looked up to see Edward watching her with love and adoration. And she knew that it was the perfect time to give him his gift. She handed him a simple envelope, which he took with a boyish grin. Bella bit her lip in anticipation while Edward tore open the gift.

"Prescriptions…" Edward questioned, as soon as he pulled the slips of paper from the envelope. Now Bella was the one rushing to explain.

"Well, they are paper," she teased him. "Take a little closer look at them, Edward," she coaxed.

"Ethinyl estradiol and norgestimate…and…Prenate Elite… Are you trying to tell me something, Bella? Because these 'scripts would appear to be contradictory…" Edward was a bit confused. Seeing the prenatal vitamin 'script almost had him hoping that Bella was unexpectedly pregnant, but then she wouldn't have a birth-control prescription written on the same day, from the same doctor.

"This is my way of telling you that I'm ready. I don't want to wait another five months to start trying. If you still want to wait until your residency is over, I'll fill the birth-control. If you don't want to wait, I'll fill the vitamins, and we'll see if we can make a baby," Bella finished. Edward was surprised. He hadn't realized that she had been feeling the baby-vibe as well. Then, every last thought that he'd had of Bella round and swollen with _his_ _child_ flashed through his head. He dropped the prescriptions without another word and crushed Bella to him while blindly trying to make it to the bed. "Is that a yes, then?" Bella asked with a laugh as they fell once again into the bed.

"Yes. Definitely yes, Bella," Edward promised, looking into her eyes. "I saw the 'script for the vitamins, and I got excited, thinking you were trying to tell me that you were pregnant."

"Are you disappointed that I'm not?" Bella asked.

"I think, for a split second, that I was. But now I'm relieved." At Bella's confused look, Edward explained. "If we had accidentally gotten pregnant, when we had decided to wait for a certain time, I would be undeniably happy, of course, but I think a part of me would always harbor a bit of guilt, too."

"Whatever for, Edward? We are married, and well, you can't really carry on the way we do and not be prepared for the consequences," Bella said.

"I know, but I think that I would still feel a little bit guilty for making you go through that when you weren't completely ready," Edward replied. Bella smiled at the sincerity and love that radiated from Edward's face, then she pulled him down to her to kiss him with all the love she had for him.

"I love you, Edward," she breathed when he reluctantly pulled away before they both asphyxiated.

"I love you, Bella. You know what this means?"

"What?" Bella asked.

"It means that I finally have an excuse to get rid of your truck. Car seats need a back seat, after all." Edward had a twinkle in his eye, but he was trying hard not to celebrate too much over the imminent demise of Bella's truck.

"You are hopeless, Edward," Bella laughed. "But it still doesn't get much better."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **

While I can promise you that I will not write a lemon in this story, I also have to say that it will deal with themes of a more mature nature. Trying to conceive, for one, and pregnancy for another. None of it will be beyond what I would have read as a teenager, but, I've come to find that I was a strange teenager...

Thanks for reading:)

ebhg:)


	5. The Waiting Game

**A/N: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Ch 5 The Waiting Game**

_Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six... dang. Four more days, Bella. You can wait that long. Let's see. It's March…that would make it… December…_

A picture suddenly coalesced into Bella's mind: the townhouse, decorated in evergreen garlands and twinkling lights. A tree standing tall in the corner with a Baby's First Christmas ornament hung on its branches. Next to it, a tiny stocking hung beside Bella's and Edward's. And in the center of it all, Bella sat in a rocking chair, softly cooing Christmas songs to the tiny bundle nuzzling at her breast while Edward played the carols softly on their antique upright piano…

"Bella?"

Instantly, Bella jerked her head upwards, blushing. She tried to appear as though she had heard the question that her boss posed to her, but her efforts were in vain. Carmen stood expectantly at the head of the table in the conference room of C&E Publishing House. Her eyes flickered downward, taking in Bella's open calendar before a subtle, knowing smirk spread over her face.

Feeling the stares of her co-workers, Bella blushed even further, fighting the desire to duck her head in order to hide the incriminating hue that imbued her cheeks. Wracking her brain, she tried to back-track enough to piece together what topic the meeting had arrived at before she had become preoccupied. Unfortunately, Bella could not recall what Carmen had been speaking about.

"I asked how the Yorkie manuscript was shaping up," she repeated, her lilting Spanish accent only a hint in her words. Carmen was still fighting a smile, which made Bella wonder how long her boss had been trying to get her attention. Taking a deep breath, Bella cleared her throat, hoping that the sudden wave of nausea she experienced wouldn't end with her breakfast reappearing all over the conference table.

"I apologize," she began, attempting to staunch the embarrassment that threatened to turn her whole face red. "It's going well. I've been able to give some key suggestions and commentary to Mr. Yorkie. I think that his style of writing is well-suited to the science-fiction genre. He's come a long way since he submitted his original manuscript."

Carmen nodded in satisfaction and moved on to another editor. Once the attention in the room was no longer focused on her, Bella silently exhaled and chided herself for her slip in professionalism. It wasn't like her to let her mind wander during the monthly in-office editor's meetings. It was usually the interns who were caught daydreaming, not Bella. Her stomach rolled in protest again and she couldn't help but hope that the nausea she was experiencing had nothing to do with the anxiety of the situation.

Feeling the weight of someone's gaze, Bella glanced around discretely. She was chagrined to once again meet her boss' knowing eyes. Carmen nodded discreetly at Bella and moved to finish her portion of the meeting before turning the time over to Eleazar, her husband and co-owner of the company. He smiled at his wife and took the head of the table to detail the prospects for the next quarter.

Bella's mind drifted back to her calendar. In the two and a half months since she and Edward had returned from their getaway, they had decided to take a relaxed approach to their efforts to conceive. With Edward's hectic schedule, they decided to let nature take its course. As such, they had done nothing more than forgo birth control.

Bella had been on the pill since junior high in order to alleviate her heavy, erratic cycles; coming off of her normal hormonal contraception had left her moods less stable. She had never been prone to extreme PMS; Renee had teased that even puberty couldn't faze her middle-aged teen. Unfortunately, the sudden unfamiliar spikes in estrogen had not left Bella's usually unflappable moods untouched. She was ashamed to admit she'd been beastly to Edward more often these last couple months than in any others in their relationship. Edward, of course, had been entirely understanding, which only added to her chagrin. Then he had clinically and sympathetically described the reason behind her mood swings, which, Bella was less ashamed to admit, added to her annoyance.

One evening, an emergency came in just as Edward was leaving the hospital, keeping him well after he had texted that he would be home. On the way, he stopped to pick up a couple slices of her favorite cheesecake for dessert to make amends for missing dinner. Bella had grumbled that he couldn't apologize with sweets every time he was late or she would get fat. The next day, a dozen roses had been delivered to their townhouse, with a note that read, _"You are my life."_

That had sent her emotions over the edge. Edward had been concerned when she had come into the ER that afternoon with a red, tear-streaked face. But he didn't complain when she had kissed him to within an inch of his life. Even the catcalls from Dr. Newton hadn't dampened his enjoyment. Bella only hoped that she wouldn't be a basket case once she actually did get pregnant.

"Bella, could I speak with you a moment?" Carmen asked as soon as the meeting ended.

"Oh, um, of course," she stammered. She had never been reprimanded at work before, and she hoped that that record would be in her favor. The nausea returned full-force.

"You've been distracted, Bonita. But it is a happy distracted, yes? I noticed you were counting days on your calendar. Should I expect to lose your talents soon? Un bebé? Are you with child?"

Excitement sparkled in the older woman's eyes. Bella had been working with Carmen and Eleazar since she had graduated college. Carmen had become another mother-figure for Bella, since Renee was more of a friend, not to mention across the country.

"I don't know yet. We only recently decided to start trying," Bella admitted softly. She knew that Carmen wouldn't tell anyone else.

"Ah! That is wonderful, bonita!" Carmen clapped her hands together. "My Kate and her husband just had a little boy! You and Edward will make such pretty babies! I feel like a grandma all over again!"

"I don't know if I'm pregnant, yet, Carmen!" Bella laughed. "But I have been feeling kind of sick to my stomach."

"When will you know?"

"I can't test for another four days," Bella admitted begrudgingly.

"Ah, the waiting, it is the worst! Of course, when I had my girls, there were no fancy home tests. We had to go to the doctor and wait for the blood test."

"I'm glad I don't have to wait that long. I've never been one for patience!"

"Bella, you are one of the most patient people I've ever met! If you think you have no patience, I hate to think what that means for the rest of us!" Carmen teased. Bella smiled at the irony. Her boss was as patient as they came.

***

After speaking with Carmen, Bella decided to spend a few more hours in the office. If she went home to the empty townhouse, she would be tempted to use a test, even though she knew that it was too early. Edward had been at the hospital since the previous morning; he had texted Bella shortly after the meeting to let her know he wasn't sure when he'd be home. He had just started a pediatric rotation focusing on emergency medicine, and the hours were less insane than in Maternity. Bella was extremely grateful that Carlisle, the head of the ER, believed that working exhausted residents was akin to handing them a few beers at the beginning of their shift. Therefore, she had a reasonable hope that Edward would be home that evening.

Realizing that it was nearly five o'clock, Bella decided to call it a day. She gathered the new manuscripts that she had been assigned and shut the door on her seldom-used office. Bella joined Carmen and Eleazar in front of the elevator.

"Going home, Bella?" Eleazar asked.

"Yes. I'm ready to get home. I'm hoping that Edward will be there tonight," she admitted, though she didn't want to get her hopes up if Edward wasn't able to make it home in time for dinner.

"Good luck, bonita," Carmen said with a grin. Eleazar looked questioningly between the two women, but shook his head and laughed, knowing not to pry when his wife had that expression on her face. Bella laughed and nodded, smiling at Carmen's enthusiasm. Carmen was still grinning at Bella when they got out of the elevator in the parking garage. Waving her goodbyes to Carmen and Eleazar, Bella climbed into her truck and started towards home, and hopefully to Edward.

The drive back to the townhouse was uneventful, though taxing, in that Bella wasn't accustomed to the thirty minute drive in rush-hour traffic. More than one vehicle sped around her lumbering truck, but Bella was more than willing to let them pass. She smiled at the thought of what Edward would say about her truck. Surely Edward could rattle off the safety features of every vehicle that whizzed past her. Recently, Bella had found more than one of Edward's _Car and Driver_ issues dog-eared at the glossy pages featuring "family-sized" vehicles. Bella laughed aloud at Edward's subtle enthusiasm and turned into their neighborhood. Maybe in a few days they would have reason to test drive some of his choices. Pulling onto her street, she waved at Mrs. Dietrich, who only pursed her lips and gave Bella her best sour look.

Lost in her musings as she pulled to a stop at the curb, Bella almost missed the fact that Edward's silver Volvo sat in its usual spot in front of her truck. Bella threw the old Chevy into park and grabbed her messenger bag from the seat beside her, eagerly running up the front path. She slid twice on a couple of slippery patches on the walk-way, but the adrenaline from her near-misses only served to propel her into the house faster.

"Edward?!" she called out breathlessly. It suddenly felt like she hadn't seen him in a week, and she was desperate to lay her eyes on her husband.

"In here," came a muffled response from the kitchen. Bella dumped her bag in the foyer without a second thought and rushed into the kitchen. Heart pounding and out of breath, Bella allowed her gaze to sweep across the room. Edward stood at the stove, pulling an unfamiliar covered roasting dish out of the oven. There were candles at the table, which was set with their nicest place settings.

"I see our cooking classes have paid off. What's all this for?" Bella asked in awe.

"Happy Anniversary!" Edward exclaimed after he set the roasting dish on the stove and turned around. Bella smiled at her very feminine apron on Edward's much broader chest. She was tempted to reach out and wipe off the smudge of some unidentifiable ingredient that was smeared on Edward's face, but decided that it added to his considerable charm.

"It's not our anniversary, Edward," Bella laughed, pointing towards the calendar that was clearly on 'March,' when their anniversary was in December.

"Yes, but what day is it?" Edward prompted with a smug grin.

"Monday?" Bella laughed, bewildered.

"Yes, Monday. _Monday the twenty-second_. The sixth anniversary of the day we met," Edward crowed proudly. Bella's mouth dropped open in astonishment. How could she have forgotten? She and Edward were constantly telling each other 'happy anniversary' on the fourth, twenty-second and thirtieth of every month. It had started as a joke, but now, it was one of the many ways they said _I love you._

But today _was_ special; it was the actual anniversary of the day their futures had become forever entwined. Edward picked up the edge of the apron he was wearing and began wiping his hands, his eyes now smoldering as he took in Bella's expression.

"When did you have time for this? I thought you wouldn't be home until later tonight!"

"Newton asked me to switch with him today. He's got some family thing to go to next weekend, and I thought, considering the date, it was a trade well-worth making." Bella threw herself across the remaining distance and into Edward's arms, catching him by surprise and kissing him deeply. Edward was quite possibly the most romantic man who ever lived, Bella thought.

"What are you cooking?" Bella asked, taking in the scents of the aromatic food Edward had been preparing.

"Poulet aux Quarante Gousses D'Ail," Edward answered, smiling at Bella's blank reaction.

"In English, please," Bella laughed.

"Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic," Edward translated.

"Forty cloves?!" Bella asked, shocked. "Are you afraid that Dr. Newton is actually a creature of the night?" Bella teased.

"Please, Newton wouldn't know scary if it _bit_ him," Edward joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Bella laughed.

"In all reality, I did have a reason for making this." Bella raised her eyebrows in askance. "My parents had a hard time having me. I don't know all the specifics; I was eighteen when I requested their medical records, and some of them had already been destroyed. You know they died when I was eleven, and some doctor's offices destroy records after seven years," Edward explained, rambling slightly in his nervousness. Bella blinked at his round-about answer, and realized that Edward was holding his breath as he watched her expression.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll deal with it," she said reassuringly. Edward seemed to melt with relief.

"From what I could tell, my parents had a hard time having me because my father…had a low sperm count."

"What does that have to do with chicken with a million cloves of garlic??" Bella asked.

"Well, those kinds of things, they can be hereditary, sometimes." Edward looked down at his feet, as though embarrassed.

"Again…what does your father's…fertility issues…" Bella blushed red, and stared at a button on Edward's shirt. "…have to do with chicken and a billion cloves of garlic?"

"Forty, Bella. Forty. They aren't multiplying in the oven, you know," Edward laughed. Then, his face turned serious. "Garlic has a lot of selenium in it, which has been said to enhance male fertility."

"Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," Bella said earnestly before she kissed him with all the passion in her heart.

***

Five days later, Bella groaned and cracked an eye open to see the clock reading six AM. Edward had just stumbled into their bedroom after another thirty-eight hour shift, and she could hear him in their master bath, getting ready to come out and collapse into the bed.

Today was the day. She could test this morning, and find out if their modest efforts had been successful. Now a little less reluctantly, Bella got up from the warm bed and padded softly to the bathroom, just as Edward opened the door with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Hey…I didn't mean to wake you," he mumbled, pulling her into his chest and planting a sloppy kiss on her forehead, and one on her lips.

"S'ok," Bella murmured. "I wasn't going to get up until I realized that I could take a test today," she added.

"A test?" Edward asked, quietly hopeful.

"Mm-hmm."

"What are we waiting for then?" Edward asked, his exhaustion held at bay for the moment.

Ten minutes later, Bella and Edward sat cross-legged, side-by-side on the tile floor of the bathroom as they took in the very lonely single line on all three of the tests Bella had used.

"I am such a fool," Bella said self-depreciatively. "I was already picturing us all cozy with a Christmas baby. I was sure that I was pregnant this time. Yet here we are, staring at three big, fat negatives. Is there something wrong with me?" Bella asked forlornly.

"Bella, only you would assume the problem was with you when I told you earlier this week that I have a family history of less-than-stellar fertility," Edward said tenderly.

"Are you really concerned about that? I mean, with the garlic and all…I thought you were just being you, wanting to feel somehow in control of the whole situation…"

"I honestly don't think there is anything wrong with either of us. My father was over forty when my parents had me. We're young, healthy, active people. I guess I did sort of want to feel more like I was doing something to help. It's not like I have much else to do in the grand scheme of things," Edward said, wiggling his eyebrows to lessen the intensity of the moment. "I suspect our timing is just off. We've only been trying for three months now, Love."

"Our timing? We have been accused, more than once, of being members of the rabbit species, Edward. How much better timing do we need?"

"Well…you just came off of birth control recently…it's not unusual for a woman to go a month or two without ovulating in those circumstances. And, considering how often my shifts have lasted upwards of two or three days, we could have just missed your most fertile window each month. We haven't _really_ been _trying_. Just _practicing._" Bella couldn't help smiling at Edward's coy tone.

"I want to do more. I didn't think I would mind if it took us a little time to get pregnant, but I'm already tired of seeing only one line."

"I couldn't have said it any better, Love," Edward murmured as he leaned in to capture Bella's lips in a sweet kiss.

***

Edward and Bella were still curled around each other beneath their warm comforter when the phone rang early the next morning.

"Why…at…seven AM…on my day off…does the phone have to ring?" Edward murmured into Bella's neck, while peeling a single eye open to glare at the green numbers of the alarm clock beside the bed.

"Don't answer it…they'll call back…" Bella replied, pulling her pillow over their heads. Thirty minutes later, the phone rang again.

"I'd better answer it," Edward grumbled, stumbling from the bed while grabbing their bedroom handset and moving into the hallway. "Hello?" he answered, doing his best to sound like he hadn't been asleep two minutes previous.

"Ah, that's why there was no answer," Esme chuckled. Edward bit his tongue against his first remark and suddenly there were muted thumps coming over the line. "Emmett! _Whack!_ You made me worry for nothing! Now you made me wake him up!"

_"Tell that lazy bum that daylight is burning!"_

"Hush, you! What if he just got home from work?" Esme scolded, though Edward could hear the smile in her voice. His aunt knew very well that he had been home, as she had called him the afternoon before to ask about the roasting pan he had borrowed. Edward couldn't help but smile at Esme's effort to defend him from his younger cousin. "We wanted to let you know," Esme said, addressing Edward once more. "We're holding Emmett's birthday dinner tomorrow, instead of our usual Sunday get-together. I thought it was perfect, considering tomorrow is his actual birthday, and you and Carlisle are both off."

"Is it the twenty-seventh already?" Edward said, rubbing his face and stretching.

"I know; can you believe it? My baby is going to be thirty tomorrow!"

"Don't worry Esme; Emmett will always be your baby," Edward deadpanned.

_"I heard that!" _Emmett's voice cut in from the background.

"Esme? Have you got me on speakerphone again? What if I mentioned that I got Emmett that thing that he always wanted…you know, that-"

"What? Why did you stop?! You can't leave a guy hanging like that!" Emmett said, having picked up an extension.

"Emmett, please, you should know me better than that by now," Edward said, enjoying that he was able to tease Emmett for once. "What are you even doing there at seven in the morning, Emmett? Did you think that you could catch Esme in the act of wrapping your present or something?"

"Nah…Just playin' handy-man again. You know Dad. He can patch up a person, but drywall is a different story…" Emmett laughed at his own joke, and Edward couldn't help but join in. Carlisle _was_ rather helpless in the home-repair department. Emmett, however, owned and operated his own construction and remodeling business.

"Why did they need drywall repair?" Edward asked warily.

"Well, you see, Rose and I-"

"Never mind," Edward cut him off quickly. Emmett merely laughed and hung up. He always did like to get the last dig in.

"Bye, Edward, don't let him get to you. You know how much he likes to push your buttons," Esme laughed.

"I'll try my best," Edward teased. "Bye, Esme."

Shaking his head, Edward returned to the bedroom, hanging up the phone and crawling back into the bed, now completely awake. Bella had rolled over and hugged his pillow to her chest, just as she teased him for doing when she wasn't in the bed with him. Edward was tempted to get the camera and prove that he wasn't the only one to do it when Bella's face broke into a smirk.

"Don't even think it…"

"What?!" Edward asked innocently.

"I am in your head, Edward, and I do not want any bedraggled-Bella photos floating around anywhere. My hair probably looks like a haystack," Bella mumbled without opening her eyes.

"It does look like a haystack. And I like it," Edward teased, leaning over Bella on an elbow. "Very sexy…"

"Come here and I'll show you sexy…" Bella tossed back. Edward couldn't refuse.

***

The next evening, Edward and Bella were sure to get to the Cullen home early. They had been the butt of Emmett's newlywed-jokes every time that they were even marginally late to any gathering. The fact that the jokes had basis in fact only made them worse when Emmett tortured Edward and Bella with them over the dinner table.

"I'm surprised you guys got here so early," Emmett blurted the moment they walked into the house. Edward rolled his eyes and glared over Bella's head at Emmett. He and Jasper were shooting pool in the game room just off the front entry foyer.

"I'm going to head on into the kitchen, why don't you catch up with the boys?" Bella laughed, kissing Edward before giving him a push into the game room.

"Grab a cue, Edward. You can play the winner here," Jasper said smugly as he sank his last ball.

"Don't even. You're going to scratch the eight ball, Jasper, and this game will be mine. You can play me, Eddie."

"Eight ball, corner pocket," Jasper called.

"Care to wager?" Emmett asked as Jasper went to take the shot. Jasper glared at Emmett for his obvious attempt at distraction.

"Fifty bucks says…" Jasper began. He didn't finish his sentence. Alice and Rosalie both came into the room with their hands on their hips. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," he finished, putting his cue stick away and pulling a smiling Alice out of the room.

"Dinner is done, Birthday boy," Rosalie drawled. Emmett let out a whoop and ran from the room before Edward or Rosalie could say another word. Rose stood there looking indignant; Edward bit his lip, trying not to laugh at his cousin's oafishness when Emmett came sheepishly back into the room.

"I mean, ladies first," he gestured, and Rosalie smirked at him before patting him on the cheek and leading the way to the dining room.

***

Conversation at the dinner table was lively; Emmett made sure of it. Edward and Bella were both laughing and cringing at Emmett's antics, having been the subject of more than one of his jokes. After Esme served the birthday cake, Emmett took hold of Rosalie's hand and cleared his throat.

"Rosie and I thought that tonight would be a good time to give you all the good news," he began, suddenly uncharacteristically subdued. Esme instantly gasped, and looked directly at Rosalie's midsection. Everyone immediately understood and abandoned their seats in their rush to congratulate Rosalie and Emmett.

Edward looked discretely into Bella's eyes, understanding all too well what the pain that the announcement caused the both of them, and wishing he could spare her feelings. He grasped Bella's hand in his consolingly, using the excited crush of the family as an excuse to take their time in circling the table and offering their well-wishes.

"Thanks for stealin' my thunder, Ma," Emmett laughed, breaking the moment. Edward and Bella joined in the celebration then, trading hugs and congratulations while the others began firing questions at Rosalie.

"I didn't even suspect you were trying!" Esme said, shocked. "You hide your baby-hungry vibes very well, Rosalie. I used to be able to pick up on those at twenty yards!"

"That's when you were still experiencing them yourself," Carlisle laughed, eyeing their adult children with pride. "I suspect your focus has shifted."

"Well, you know, when you've got me as a daddy, it only takes once," Emmett bragged.

"Way too much information, Emmett," Edward laughed uneasily. Emmett shrugged unrepentantly.

"How far along are you?" Alice chirped, ignoring Emmett and clapping her hands as she bounced in place.

Rose put her hand to the small bump swathed within her thick sweater for the first time. Only with her hand there was the swelling visible. Edward looked at his cousin's wife, realizing that he hadn't seen her in anything but loose, bulky sweaters for a few months now.

"I'll be twenty weeks tomorrow," Rosalie answered, glowing.

"Twenty weeks?! And you didn't tell us before?!

"We wanted to be beyond the first trimester before we announced anything," Emmett said defensively, glancing lovingly at Rose. "And, I guess it just got nice having a little secret of our own," he admitted. Edward nodded, understanding the sentiment and smiling at Emmett's use of the word _trimester_.

"When are you due?" Carlisle asked, ever the doctor.

"August twenty-second," Rosalie and Emmett both answered.

"Boy or girl?" Jasper interjected, smiling proudly at his older brother.

"We just found out yesterday that we're having a girl!" Rosalie squealed. Alice and Esme did as well and soon all three of them were tangled in a squealing, bouncing huddle.

Bella and Edward both hung back, smiling a subdued, pained grin between them. Edward couldn't help but notice the wistful hint to Bella's expression, and wondered if the same emotion was there in his own countenance. He grasped Bella's hand in an empathetic and, he hoped, reassuring squeeze. Then, Edward pulled her into his chest and tenderly kissed her forehead before he wordlessly tilted his head in the direction of the family. After one last squeeze, they joined in and gave their own hugs and wishes of congratulations.

The rest of the evening found the two of them quieter than before dinner. Esme served hot chocolate in the living room while the ultrasound pictures were passed around. Edward and Bella smiled and cooed over them when they were passed their way, but as soon as the attention followed the little slips of thermal paper around the circle, Bella seemed to melt silently into Edward's side. The family seemed sufficiently occupied with the excitement of the announcement, and no one seemed the wiser.

***

On the way home, Edward and Bella teased and laughed about the subject, attempting to lighten their mood.

"Is it terrible that I want to be happy for them, but, I just _can't_ be yet? I mean, not really, fully happy? I don't care that they are having the first grandchild. It's not a competition…but the fact that they are and we aren't yet makes me sad…then I feel about an inch tall when I think about how they are so happy, and I'm upset that they're happy! I know we haven't been trying that long, nowhere near as long as some couples do…but I just feel…broken somehow," Bella trailed off, looking out the window, too embarrassed to meet Edward's eye.

"I know _exactly_ what you mean. I felt like Emmett stomped me flat when he was bragging on his _skills_. I just felt completely inadequate that in three whole months I can't get my wife pregnant. Even though I know that there are extenuating circumstances and I shouldn't feel like that…I just do." Edward whispered the last, not wanting to voice how completely emasculated he felt, yet, unable to hold anything back from Bella.

"I'm so sorry Edward…here I'm worried about how I feel, and I didn't even consider how you would take his comment. I've just learned to tune him out, I guess." They both laughed, relieving some of the tension. Bella reached across the console and grasped Edward's hand in support. "You will make a great father, Edward, the very best." Edward smiled, acknowledging their strength together.

"Thank you, Bella. I know we'll get there. Besides, she's twenty weeks! They were pregnant before we even decided to try. We just need a little more practice…" Edward waggled his eyebrows at her, and then grew more serious. "What do you want first, boy or girl?" he asked.

"I don't care, honestly. Boy or girl… I'd take either…" Bella smiled.

"Me too," Edward grinned back. "Maybe we'll get one of each, and it won't even matter which one we want."

"Bite your tongue, Edward," Bella laughed. "One at a time, thank you very much."

"Ok, but you know _I_ have no control over that…if we have twins, it's your _own_ fault," he teased.

"I'll give my ovaries a stern talking to, then. Hear that? One at a time!" she said, speaking to her stomach. Edward burst into laughter, appreciating more than ever his wife's ability to soothe his soul.

"That's why I love you," he declared.

"Because I'm apparently crazy enough to scold my reproductive organs?" Bella asked laughingly.

"No. Because you're _you_."

"We may not be pregnant yet, but it's going to be our turn next. Good things are happening for our family and they're going to happen for us. Edward, it doesn't get much better than this." Bella picked up Edward's hand that she had been holding and pressed it to her lips. "Let's get home and practice some more before you have to go to work tomorrow."

Morning came much too fast.

**A/N: Thank you, Justine Lark and Gleena for being awesomeness squared. (Yeah, I'm a nerd;) They really made this chapter better:) And thanks to xXcullencrazyXx for reminding me that there are really people out there reading this:) And thank you for reading! **


	6. If At First You Don't Succeed

**Ch 6 If At First You Don't Succeed…**

**A/N: As always, Twilight does not belong to me. Thanks to Gleena and Justine Lark for being lovely, awesome betas;) They make me dot my i's and cross my t's in addition to having some amazing stories of their own;) Don't forget to check them out!**

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"There you go, little man. No more jumping on the bed, got it?" Edward said it with a stern face as he secured the end of the plaster cast. He lost his composure and smiled at the young patient in front of him. "Mrs. Thomas, Ethan's arm will be sore for a while; ibuprofen will help reduce that. Keep it dry, out of the bath tub, or wrapped in plastic. You're good to go, unless you had any other questions?"

"No, I think that's it. Thanks, Dr. Masen," the weary woman replied.

"No problem. Are you ready to go little man?" Edward asked the three-year-old.

"Awe you Supewman?" the boy asked, eyes wide. Edward laughed in delight. That was exactly why he loved working Pediatrics. He looked down to his second-favorite scrubs top; one of a few that Bella had gifted him with when he began the Peds ER rotation. The background was blue and it was covered in tiny Superman emblems. His favorite Spiderman scrubs had been puked on in the night.

"What do you think?" he asked, kneeling down in front of the lower-than-normal gurney. "Do I have glasses like Clark Kent?"

"No…" Ethan trailed off, stumped by Edward's question.

"I'm not Superman, I'm just a doctor," Edward explained, grinning. Ethan nodded solemnly, as though he were let in on a huge secret. Edward signed their discharge papers after giving a few more care instructions to Mrs. Thomas, and left the room.

"Dr. Masen? There's a possible foreign object in the ears of the little girl in room twelve, and your flu patient is still in room ten."

"I'm on it," he said, dropping off the Thomas papers in exchange for the cases the admitting nurse just assigned to him. He took a moment at the front desk to peruse the charts, and was surprised at a low chuckle to his left.

"Nice scrubs," Carlisle laughed. Edward smiled and nodded. "You're doing well in Peds, I hear."

"Yeah. I think I found my specialty, actually," Edward admitted. "I really like working with the kids. They're honest," he laughed, thinking of the little bed jumper's sheepish explanation of wanting to be a monkey like in the song.

"That's good, Edward. I admire your abilities with them. When I did Peds in my residency, I realized that work better with the older crowd."

"You were always great with us kids, Carlisle," Edward said honestly.

"It's different when it's your own kids. There is a comfort level and an instinctual understanding that you develop with the children you love and care for on a daily basis. Most kids here in the hospital are rather intimidated by me. I've never known quite why…" Carlisle said, consternated. Edward laughed and clapped his uncle on the shoulder.

"Maybe you just need to dress the part!" he teased as he walked away. Carlisle looked down at his standard shirt and tie with consternation. Edward laughed again and rounded the corner towards his next patient.

"Molly?" he confirmed with the waiting father as he knocked on the slightly open door.

"That's us," the man sighed.

"What brings you in today?"

"We think Molly must have put some pinto beans in her ears yesterday in preschool," the man wearily replied.

"Beans, huh? Were you planting them in some dirt too?" Edward asked, putting on some gloves and gathering his otoscope and some ear curettes. Molly looked at her dad nervously.

"She hasn't really been able to hear much of anything since she had her bath last night, and woke up this morning." Edward nodded, understanding the worn-out expression on the man's face a little better.

"Did she get her ears wet, in the bath?" he asked.

"Yeah, she likes to pretend to swim in the tub…" Edward nodded, understanding, though inside he was groaning. Beans-in-the-ears were bad enough, but once they got wet, they swelled, making it even more difficult to remove them.

"Ok, Molly?" Edward addressed the little girl and showed her all of his tools. "I'm just going to look in your ears, honey. Can you sit real still for me, so I can get your beans out of your ears?" Molly nodded, wide-eyed, and laid down when Edward patted the exam table. A quick look with the scope confirmed that Molly had a white, swollen bean lodged in each ear. At the feel of the otoscope, she squirmed, and brought her hands up to bat the scope away. "Molly, hon, I need you to hold real still, ok?" Edward reassured her. Then he reached over and hit the call button.

"Nurse's desk," crackled over the speaker.

"Jessica? Can you come assist me with Molly in room twelve?" he asked.

"Sure thing!" Jessica replied, and the intercom fell silent. A moment later, Jessica Stanley, a recently hired nurse, came in and gloved up. "Hi, sweetie! I'm Jessica, can I give you a big squeeze today?" she asked, putting Molly into a well-practiced and gentle restraining hold. Molly's dad moved to rub her feet soothingly.

Within a few minutes, Edward had fished the first bean out of Molly's ear, showing her how it had begun to sprout. He and Jessica rolled Molly over and began to retrieve the other bean. Ten minutes later, he was done. After giving Molly instructions to never put anything in her ear again, he gave her father a script for an antibiotic ear drop and signed the discharge papers.

"You were _so_ good with her, Dr. Masen," Jessica commented as they returned to the front desk. Edward gave a small smile in thanks and put the chart in the discharge pile. Jessica reached out and grasped his elbow in an overly-friendly gesture. Edward gave her a calculated look and casually pulled away from her touch. He had thought her compliment genuine, but the way she had touched his arm and batted her eye-lashes had the feel of sexual innuendo disguised as innocence. He made sure to use his _left_ hand to push his hair back out of his face and then scratch his nose, for good measure. Plenty of wedding band visibility there…

"Thanks, Jessica. Have you met Dr. Newton, by chance? I think you two would get along splendidly."

"I haven't! I only just started last week, on the fifteenth, and his schedule has been completely opposite of mine. You know you aren't the first person to suggest I meet Dr. Newton? Dr. Cullen said the same thing! Isn't he like your foster dad or something?"

"Uh… Uncle, actually… excuse me," Edward said, waving the flu patient's file at Jessica and starting down the hall. She'd had enough intel to know that he and Carlisle were related; surely she knew he was married. He hoped that he had sent the happily-wedded message clearly enough.

"Oh, ok. Thanks for the tip!" Jessica called.

Edward narrowly avoided another mess with the young flu patient, who had to be admitted for IV fluids. He was handing the chart over to the admissions desk, ready to take a lunch break when there was an emergency call from an MVA.

"Dr. Masen, Peds is requested on the MVA case," Charlotte, the head nurse said as she grabbed him and handed him a disposable smock and gloves and pulled him towards the ambulance entrance where the emergency vehicles were pulling up. He met the paramedics just inside the automatic door as they waited for a room to become available.

"This is two-year-old, Ruby," an EMT said as he pushed a stretcher with the child strapped in. "She was struck by some debris in the accident. I think she'll need some stitches." Edward could see that there was a fresh cut on her forehead that had been hastily closed with a couple butterfly bandages. Edward was certain that she would need stitches. Behind the gurney, a frazzled red-headed woman spoke with the second paramedic as he jotted things down on his clipboard. She had two bruises darkening beneath each eye; a classic air-bag injury.

The EMT began to list their stats, but Edward didn't hear anything else. There was nothing but the sound of blood rushing through his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he had noticed another ambulance pull up to the emergency bay. His heart nearly stopped when the driver of the ambulance opened the rear doors and helped her partner to unload the stretcher with a familiar form immobilized on a board.

It was Bella.

Alice was stepping down from the ambulance behind the stretcher, her face a mask of worry. It was all Edward could do to keep on his feet; to not collapse with the unadulterated fear that shot through him.

"Bella!" he called, leaving the confused patients and EMT's behind as he rushed through the automatic door to the emergency bay. "Bella!" he called again.

"Edward?!" she called, instantly calming him by a fraction. "I'm fine, Edward. Don't over-react. This is just a precaution…but, Edward? I told them," she said quietly. He instantly understood that she meant she'd disclosed that there was a possibility that she was pregnant, because they had been trying to conceive. In front of Alice no less.

"That's ok, Love," he reassured her, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze as he walked alongside the stretcher as they entered the ER. "What happened?" he asked, looking at Alice and Bella in turn.

"We were rear-ended," Alice said regretfully.

"What?" Edward paled, envisioning twisted hunks of wreckage surrounded by emergency vehicles. "Why didn't you call me? Send a text?" he asked Bella earnestly.

"Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose," Bella sighed. "I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily, or take you away from work."

"Unnecessarily? Don't be absurd, Love. Never doubt how necessary you are to my existence," Edward reminded her. He vaguely realized that Carlisle was directing the EMTs Edward had effectively abandoned as to where to take little Ruby and her mother.

"Dr. Masen?" Carlisle approached them, focused on the various charts in his hand. "Are you able to take a patient right now? Because I would really prefer that someone from peds handle the stitches on that little girl, and your attending is on lunch break…" Carlisle stopped when he took in the patient on the gurney beside Edward and his daughter-in-law at Edward's side. His professional demeanor faltered only slightly as he joined them and directed the paramedics to a free room.

The EMTs helped to transfer Bella, board and all, onto the ER bed and left with their stretcher. Carlisle addressed a nurse gathering supplies from a cabinet on the wall. "Barbara, can you get a transport to radiology set up? We'll need some x-rays before we can get her off this board."

"I'll do that right now, Dr. Cullen," Barbara answered and rushed out the door.

"Bella, can you tell me what happened? Did you hit your head? Are you in any pain?" Carlisle questioned while evaluating her neurological responses to stimuli to rule out a concussion.

"No…it wasn't really a bad accident. I really feel fine, maybe a little sore overall. I just thought it would be better to come in and get checked out…" Bella trailed off, looked at Edward and blushed a deep red.

"Alice?" Carlisle questioned, looking at his daughter-in-law with a diagnostic eye.

"I'm fine, Carlisle," Alice promised. "It wasn't bad, I promise. But, Bella's seat broke, and lay flat when we got hit, and the paramedics were worried about her spine and then she said, uhh…" Alice looked to Edward as well.

"You're going to have to order some additional tests before Bella goes for an x-ray, Carlisle," Edward admitted, meeting his uncle's questioning gaze. "We've been trying for a baby. There _is_ a possibility that Bella is pregnant, though it's too early for urine tests," Edward finished with a subdued grin as he held Carlisle's gaze and tried to ignore the excitedly-bouncing cousin-in-law to his right.

Carlisle's eyes widened, then a grin spread across his face as Edward's words settled into his brain. "That's excellent, you two! I'll get right on that!" he said as he finished checking all of Bella's vitals.

"Go take care of that little girl, Edward," Bella insisted. "Alice is here, and she can stay with me until you can come back." Alice nodded her agreement, and Edward was torn. He knew how fruitless it could be at times to argue with Bella. At this moment, he didn't want to get her riled up; especially if she were pregnant.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked. Edward looked at Bella and then at his uncle. He didn't want to go, but the earnest expression on Bella's face left him unable to argue.

"Ok. But I'm coming right back in here as soon as the last stitch is in place, and you will not convince me otherwise, Bella," he promised her sternly. She nodded her agreement and gave his hand one final squeeze.

Edward had to back-track somewhat to find what happened to Ruby and her mother. His mind had strayed far from the pair when he had seen Bella unloaded from the ambulance.

"Ruby?" he questioned as he got to their room. The little girl nodded wordlessly, clutching a fuzzy teddy-bear to her chest. The red-haired woman nodded as well. Jessica was already there, prepping the tray with a stitch kit. "I'm Dr. Masen," he introduced himself, shaking hands with the mother. "Can you tell me what happened today?"

"I'm Victoria," The mom replied. "I was driving northbound," Victoria waved her hand limply in front of her, staring blankly at the ceiling as she recounted her story yet again. "I was behind a little yellow car when some _guy_ in a _huge_ truck going westbound," she waved her hand exasperatedly to the right and sneered at the absent red-light runner. "He _barreled_ through the red light, and the car in front of me _slammed_ on the brakes, and _I_ hit the brakes, but I _hydroplaned_ and I rear-ended the little yellow car." Her face crumpled in guilt as she turned towards her daughter. "I think Ruby must have gotten hit with one of her older brother's toy trucks that were in the van," she said, looking at the small cut over Ruby's eye.

Edward nodded, taking a deep breath to steady his emotions when he realized that this woman had been the driver of the car that rear-ended Bella and Alice. Then he exhaled in relief and thanked all that was good and holy when he realized Alice and Bella's minor rear-ending could have been a much more serious side-impact collision with a much larger vehicle, on Bella's side of the car, no less.

"It wasn't your fault that Ruby was hurt. You did your best, and I'm sure that a lot of family-vans have toy trucks in them," Edward reassured the mother before turning to the little girl "How are you feeling?" Edward asked, smiling at the little girl as he washed up and put on his gloves. Ruby eyed the tray of tools nervously.

"Don't worry, honey," Edward soothed as he pulled the wheeled-stool over and he and Jessica worked silently in concert. He examined her eyes and took a look at the vitals that Jessica already noted on Ruby's chart. A concussion was unlikely, but still cause for concern. "I'm going to put some medicine in your skin, right by your boo-boo, to make the owie go away so that I can put in some stitches, ok?"

Ruby whimpered when she saw the syringe of local anesthetic. Victoria wrapped an arm over Ruby's arms and covered the little girl's eyes with her other hand. She held Ruby's head steady against her chest, leaving her forehead clear for Edward to work. Jessica sang silly songs to keep Ruby from panicking while she supplied Edward with the tools he needed as he swiftly placed four tiny stitches in the cut.

He was back at Bella's side ten minutes later, thanking Alice as she left to give them a few moments of privacy.

"They had to take blood for the test," Bella told him, holding up her arm and frowning at the capped-off IV now in place in the back of her left hand. "The IV is overkill though, Edward," Bella groused.

"Sorry, Love. It's standard procedure when blood is necessary for tests. Would you rather be re-stuck if they decided more tests were needed?" he said, smiling at her as he pulled a chair close to her bed and kissed her forehead.

"When can I get out of this thing?" Bella groaned, wanting to sit up.

"As soon as we get the test results, we can X-ray your spine and then we'll decide whether or not you can get up," Edward teased, kissing her nose.

"When can I get a real kiss?" Bella asked, trying to give him a coy look, but failing, as she could only see Edward out of the corner of her eye with her head immobilized.

"Oh, I suppose I could arrange that," Edward responded, kissing each of Bella's cheeks before finally kissing her lips gently and sensuously. "You cannot image how scared I was when I saw you coming out of that ambulance." Edward whispered, resting his forehead on Bella's.

"I think I can. I would feel the same if I saw you being unloaded from an ambulance. I'm sorry, Edward."

"Silly Bella. You can't apologize for something you had no control over," Edward chided. "From what I heard, it could have been much worse."

"Yes, it could have. I hadn't seen the truck before Alice braked, but she cried out and stopped like she _knew_ it was coming. Like she had some sixth sense about it…" Bella shivered involuntarily as she recalled the moment of the accident. "Alice said it was a big rental truck; probably someone who has no business driving something of that size."

"I could have lost you today, Bella. If a truck like that had hit Alice's little car in a side-impact collision, you could have been killed…" Edward struggled to get the words out. He kissed her again, desperate to feel her lips on his; proof positive that she was still alive, and right in front of him.

"Knock, knock," Carlisle said softly as he opened the door, reluctant to interrupt such a tender and intense moment between his nephew and niece-in-law. Edward placed one last gentle kiss on Bella's lips and turned to face his uncle. "I have good news, and bad news," Carlisle offered.

Edward looked down at Bella. "Bad news first," they said together.

"Bad news…you're not pregnant…" Carlisle gave them a moment to absorb the news. Edward gave Bella's hand another squeeze; her return grip was firm, unwavering. He gave Carlisle a nod, encouraging him to continue. "Good news, you are cleared for an x-ray, after which, we can hopefully get you off that board and on your way home."

"Sounds great, Carlisle," Bella said quietly.

"I'll just go get that set up then," Carlisle replied, leaving the room.

The two of them sat in a comfortable yet somber silence. Their grasp on one another never slackened.

"I know it's not the result we were hoping for," Edward said, breaking the silence. "But would you be mad at me if I said that I'm a little relieved that you _aren't_ pregnant?"

"What do you mean?" Bella's voice held a slight tremble; the stress of the day beginning to destroy her composure in the face of yet another negative test result. Edward hurried to soothe her.

"Recovering from even a fender-bender is hard enough, Love," he explained. "Pregnancy, even in its earliest weeks, takes the same amount of daily energy as running a marathon. I'm glad that you'll be able to recover from this and rest up before you are tasked with the enormous endeavor of growing our baby, right here." Edward placed his hand over Bella's lower abdomen, caressing her navel with his thumb. "Besides all that, if you were pregnant, with a trauma like this, you could have miscarried or been put on bed rest in the hope that it would prevent one."

"No bed rest," Bella moaned.

"You need to rest, at least for a day or two, Bella."

"I love you, Edward," Bella said, pulling him down to kiss him.

"I love you, too, Bella," he whispered, nuzzling her nose with his.

"Ahem…" Edward straightened and faced the door. An orderly was ready to take Bella to radiology for her x-ray.

"Jackie, have you met my wife, Bella?" he hurried to explain, lest the hospital gossip mill run rampant with rumors that Dr. Masen's bedside manner had a full-service option. Jackie's eyes lit with understanding, and she finally had a big grin for Edward.

"Can't say that I have, dear," the woman replied. "I'm Jackie, hun. I'll be takin' you down to radiology."

Bella smiled and tried to meet her eye as best she could while strapped down. Then, the bed was moving beneath her, making her feel dizzy. Edward walked beside her, never releasing her hand. Alice fell into step beside them, chattering to the both of them about the terrible coffee in the hospital's cafeteria, and then she waited in the hall while they got set up in the radiology room. Edward was able to don a lead apron and stand beside the table while a series of images were taken to get a full view of Bella's spine.

An hour later, Carlisle came in to Bella's room in the ER with a stack of x-rays and a big grin.

"You're all clear to get off the board, Bella."

"Thank goodness," Bella muttered as Edward and Carlisle both worked to free her from her Velcro prison. As soon as all the straps were off, Edward helped her ease to a sitting position. Bella groaned at her incredible stiffness.

"You'll likely be very sore for a few days, maybe a couple weeks," Carlisle warned her. "I'll send you home with a script for some pain meds, nothing too strong, just enough to take the edge off so you can sleep and be comfortable enough to ease back into your regular activities. Use ice packs for a few days to ease your pain, and a few massages from Mr. Magic Hands here wouldn't hurt either." Carlisle grinned at Edward. "And, good luck to you on your other endeavor. You will be great parents," Carlisle said proudly.

Edward was able to leave for the rest of the day, with the promise to be in again in the morning. He led Bella out to his Volvo and gently helped her to sit in the passenger seat. Jasper had come to pick up Alice, even though Edward had offered to give her a ride home.

"I'm fine, Edward. It wasn't that bad, I'm not made of glass you know," Bella said ruefully.

"Just let me pamper you please," Edward pleaded. Bella couldn't resist when he said, 'please.'

That afternoon, Edward kept Bella tucked into their bed, reading aloud to her and occasionally bringing her a glass of water or a fruit smoothie to drink. He kept up a rotation of ice packs for her ever-stiffening muscles and finally, after a light supper, coaxed her into taking her pain meds.

"How about I draw you a warm, relaxing bath and then I'll wash and massage you?" Edward asked.

"Sounds perfect, Edward," she agreed with a grateful smile. Edward gathered her favorite body wash and shampoo from the shower caddy and set up beside the tub. He turned on a soothing CD and lit some relaxation-inducing scented candles before drawing the bath.

"Are you ready?" he asked Bella.

"I'll be right there," she responded. But Edward beat her to the punch, picking her up and cradling her in his arms as he took her into the master bath and set her on the plush mat. Bella took in the room with the candles and the soft music gave Edward a soft smile.

"You are _wonderful_, you know?"

"Only because of you, Love." Edward helped her to disrobe. While it was incredibly intimate, it was not arousing. There was pure, selfless love radiating from him as Edward tenderly placed a kiss over her womb and gave her a hand into the water. He spent the next thirty minutes soaping her body and kneading her sore muscles, warming the water, and shampooing her hair. Bella was so relaxed by the time he was finished, she was nearly asleep in the bath tub.

"You're so good to me," Bella murmured sleepily as Edward lifted her out onto the mat and wrapped her into a fluffy towel. He picked her up in his arms again and brought her into the bedroom to help her dress in her favorite ASU sweats.

"You deserve the best," he murmured, tucking her into bed once more and kissing her goodnight.

***

The sun had just risen when Edward arranged a supply of snacks and bottles of water for Bella on the bedside table. He left her laptop on a lap tray beside her sleeping form and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. She didn't stir when he left their townhome to return to the hospital. Edward knew that she had slept fitfully in the early morning hours after the medication had worn off, and as sad as he was to not have their customary goodbye, he was glad she was resting.

Edward went straight for the employee locker room when he arrived at the hospital. He had just finished securing his things when Dr. Newton came in.

"I heard your wife was in yesterday," Newton said casually.

"Yes, she and my cousin's wife were rear-ended."

"That's not _all_ I heard," Newton crowed in a sing-song voice. He raised his eyebrows at Edward and waited gleefully for him to say something, expecting a smug confirmation of masculine prowess. Edward stared back blankly. Newton didn't get the hint and continued as though Edward hadn't understood what he was referring to. "I heard you had to run a _special test_ before she could get an x-ray. Are you trying to knock up your woman, Dr. Masen?" Newton's tone was joking, but the line of questioning was grating on Edward's last nerve.

"I don't think that is any of your business," Edward ground out.

"Ooh, I get it. Not having any luck, huh?" Newton nodded consolingly as though he and Edward were the best of friends who regularly discussed their sex-lives. "You know they say that some positions are better than others for that…"

Edward narrowly, and fortunately, avoided silencing the hospital's resident idiot with his fist. His glare was more than sufficient, thankfully, to finally stop Newton in his oafish tracks. Edward couldn't afford a suspension or an administrative warning at this point in his training. In less than a month he would be a full-fledged emergency room pediatrician. If he had to delay for any reason, he wouldn't have the time readily available for his and Bella's trip to France for Gerard's wedding. As it was now, his residency would finish the same week they left for Paris and his new contract with the hospital would begin the week after they returned.

"Never mind…" Newton slunk off, in a rare moment of self-preservation.

"Edward?"

Edward turned, startled to realize that there was someone else in the room. Carlisle stood in the doorway, with a towel in his hand and wearing a set of plain blue scrubs. Edward raised his eyebrow in question. Carlisle looked down, taking in his own appearance.

"Well, that flu going around is a nasty one…" he commented, pulling at the scrub top. "My favorite tie, too, dammit."

Edward laughed at the look on Carlisle's face. "Yeah, kid nailed my favorite Spiderman scrubs couple nights ago."

"I heard what Newton said," Carlisle said without preamble. Edward's face darkened perceptibly. "It was completely unprofessional of him. I'll be having a discussion with him about work-place appropriate behavior."

"He's only going to think I ran to Uncle Carlisle and told on him. Don't worry about it. I can handle it," Edward said.

"Regardless, I did hear him, and it is _my _ER he's working in. He will understand that I heard it myself." Edward nodded, understanding that Carlisle was not acting as a protective guardian, but as an employer. "I did get the feeling though, that yesterday was not the first time that you and Bella got a negative pregnancy test. Do you want to talk about it?"

"We're fine…" Edward began, but he was surprised to find that he actually _did_ want to talk to his surrogate father. He fixed his eyes on some distant point. "It wasn't the first; it was our fourth. We decided to start trying when we went away for our anniversary." Carlisle nodded, understanding that Edward didn't want to hear any reassurances. He just needed to speak. "I feel broken…even Newton could tell…what is wrong with me? Logically, I understand that we haven't been trying for that long, and that it's normal, and that we don't even meet the definition of 'having fertility problems,' but I just feel like a failure…" Edward finally met his uncle's eye and let loose a shuddering breath at the sudden sensation of release. Carlisle wordlessly pulled Edward into a comforting embrace, locking his nephew's head to his shoulder before pulling away and looking into Edward's eyes. At that moment, Edward didn't look twenty-six. Carlisle could see the skinny, heart-broken eleven-year-old who had come to live with them after his mother and father had been tragically taken from him.

"I'm sure Emmett doesn't help, either." They both laughed mirthlessly. "You are not broken, Edward. You are the strongest person I know, save perhaps the woman you married." Edward smiled at the mention of Bella. "You will overcome this; it will not keep you down. No matter how you reach your goal, you and Bella will be wonderful, excellent parents. I'll be proud to see that day."

Edward was the one to pull Carlisle in for a rough embrace then; after a few hearty slaps to their backs, they both pulled away.

"I won't tell Emmett about this if you don't," Carlisle joked, giving them both the excuse they needed to pull away from such a raw moment.

"You have my solemn vow," Edward joked, just as his phone buzzed with an incoming text.

_**I miss you. Happy Anniversary! IDGMBTT ;)**_

Edward looked down at the date on his phone, startled for a moment. But there, plain as day, the date read April 22. Laughing, Edward texted back:

_**You win this round. I love you, too. Nothing is better than being with you, Love! :)**_

_**

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**_

And just in case you were wondering: **I**t** D**oesn't **G**et **M**uch **B**etter** T**han **T**his

**Thanks**** to all of you who are following this story and reviewing! I love hearing from you, and meeting new people. I never would have thought that I would have pen pals across the country and the globe. From as close as the eastern US, and as far as the UK and India. You are all pretty cool;)**

**ebhg;)**


	7. We'll Always Have Paris

**Ch 7 We'll Always Have Paris**

**A/N: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **

**Thanks to Justine Lark and Gleena for their ****amazing **pre-reading and beta skills;) They keep me sane! And, big thanks to Justine for vacationing in Paris last year and answering my endless travel questions;)

**

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**

Bella moaned lowly into the trash can beside her desk and wiped the sudden perspiration from her clammy brow. Lucky Charms part deux were _not_ magically delicious. At the moment it seemed that fate was out to make her life difficult. It wasn't bad enough, apparently, that Bella had started her period just three days after the accident, leaving her stiff, sore and very hormonal for the past week. No, it wasn't enough, because Bella was now certain that she was coming down with the flu bug running rampant (so it seemed) through the streets of Seattle.

It was patented Bella Masen luck to get into a car accident, menstruate, and come down with the flu all within the same week. It was making her grumpy, and she was now rather desperate for a hot shower and her comfy sweats. Thus, Bella got slowly to her feet, still clutching her trash can, and shuffled her way out of her office and into the master bedroom and its en suite bathroom. A hot, steamy shower sounded perfect.

With the part of her brain not fogged by nausea, Bella vaguely wondered what their family would say if they knew Bella was feeling queasy. Emmett would likely have a field day with that information. There had not been a single day in which Bella had gone without a call from one of the family, just calling to _check-in_. Two days previous, she had heard more than she ever wanted to from Rosalie about how to ensure conception. Rose had covered everything, from which positions to use to what pre-seed lubricants were recommended the most. Bella had still been blushing twenty minutes after that call ended. Just thinking of the subtle suggestions that Esme had given her regarding 'fertile foods' left Bella wanting to leave the phone of the hook for the next month. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her hazy brain and stepped gratefully into the steaming spray of the shower.

When Edward came home a few hours later, Bella was still in the bathroom, swathed within her voluminous bathrobe with her hair in a hasty, damp bun. She was fitfully sleeping, curled into a ball on the thick bathmat.

"Bella?" Edward asked worriedly, taking in the scene. There was an empty bottle of Gatorade and a box-and-a-half worth of used tissues spilling over the sides of the trash can and onto the floor. Bella's office trash-can was sitting on the vanity; thankfully it had been rinsed recently. Bella heard Edward's footsteps come to a stop right beside her and she opened her weary eyes to greet him.

"Hey," she groaned in a gravelly voice, lifting her head from her impromptu wadded-towel-pillow and groaning at the newest sensations of stiffness in her body.

"Please, just put me out of my misery…" she responded, closing her eyes again and letting her head fall heavily back onto her towel.

"Bella, love, what's the matter?" Edward implored her once more.

"Fate hates me…" she moaned dramatically.

"Fate… Hates you… Can you be a little more specific?" he asked, kneeling down to assess her temperature. His hands were still chilled from being outside, so he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"You're freezing!" Bella squealed, attempting to burrow deeper into her robe.

"Actually, love, you have a fever. What are your other symptoms?" Edward was having a hard time coming out of doctor-mode.

"I've been throwing up all afternoon, my head is pounding, and my nose can't decide if it's Hoover Dam or Niagara Falls…"

"Oh, Bella, love. You must have caught the flu that's going around."

"Thanks, Dr. Masen, I think I figured that one out," Bella snarked. Then she winced. "Sorry… that was uncalled for."

"S'ok, love, you don't feel well, I understand. Let's get you off the cold, hard floor and in bed, huh?"

Edward scooped Bella up then, and carried her into their bedroom. While he gathered some clothes to help her change into, Bella glumly watched him.

"Why is it that it seems like you've dressed me more this week than undressed me?" she pouted. Edward raised an eyebrow at her.

"You've needed someone to take care of you this last week, Bella. Not take advantage of you…" Not that he could say he hadn't thought about it. Giving her so many massages in the last week was starting to make him crazy. Bella accepted the clothes he offered, wishing that she felt like doing something more than joining the exclusive club of those who had thrown up on her husband. Then she had an epiphany.

"Edward? It's the thirtieth! Gerard's wedding is on May eighth, and we're leaving for France on the fifth! What if I'm still sick?"

Edward had thought about that already; he had been thinking about what they would need to pack while he drove home.

"If you've got the same strain that we've seen in the ER so much lately, it should only last about 72 hours," Edward reassured her.

"72 hours too long," Bella groaned, allowing Edward to take back the pair of maroon Sparky sweats that he had handed to her a moment before. He helped her step into the pants and then assisted her to stand to pull them up. Then it happened; hobbled as she was she couldn't run or reach for the trash can. Edward was bent over, unaware of her plight. And then she joined the illustrious club.

"I'm so, so sorry, Edward," Bella moaned.

"Don't worry about it, love. It's not the first time I've been puked on, and I'm sure it won't be the last," Edward reassured her, pulling his soiled shirt gingerly over his head and taking it to the sink to rinse. Bella groaned at his unintentional insinuation.

"You expect me to launch on you again?" she said, disheartened.

"Well, no, but I am a pediatrician," Edward teased, smiling at Bella as he returned and wrapped her in his arms. "Plus, when we eventually get pregnant, you may have terrible morning sickness."

Bella gave Edward the stink-eye. "Bite your tongue," she growled playfully. Edward proceeded to make a big production of biting the tip of his tongue with his front teeth. Bella couldn't help but laugh, and then sigh when Edward gave her his best sheepish expression. Even sick as she was and him being freshly puked on, Bella couldn't deny that Edward was a still a little tempting as he stood in front of her, shirtless and playful.

"I'm probably the oldest person to ever join the club…" Bella moaned as she let her head fall heavily onto Edward's chest.

"What club?" he asked, confused.

"You know… _the_club," she mumbled.

"Uh, no, I don't. What club?" Edward repeated. Bella looked up at him sheepishly.

"The 'I've-thrown-up-on-Edward-Masen' club. It's a prestigious group; perhaps I'll run for club president," Bella joked feebly. Edward couldn't help but laugh.

"Bella, you are absurd," he chuckled.

"But you love me, anyways," Bella said tiredly, giving him a small smile.

"Yep. I bet you love me anyways, too," he teased.

"Without a doubt. No offense, but you stink, Edward."

Edward tucked Bella into bed before getting into the shower. When the phone rang fifteen minutes later, Bella answered it with a tired, "Hello?"

"Wow, Bella, you sound terrible."

"Thanks, Emmett…" Bella drawled sarcastically. "I think I've come down with the flu; I've been throwing up all afternoon."

"That sucks. Is Eddie there, yet?"

"You know he hates it when you call him that," Bella began. "He's here, but he's in the shower."

"Ah, did he get yakked on again?" Emmett asked. Bella could tell that he was grossed out; she considered how to answer his question without incriminating herself. But, there was nothing for it.

"Yes, Emmett, he got 'yakked on' as you so delicately put it…"

"I hope he changed before he came home, at least. That stuff reeks."

"No, he was already home," Bella said, not thinking.

"Oh." Emmett was abruptly silent. "You said you've been throwing up all afternoon. You did the yakking, huh?"

"Yeah," Bella admitted, embarrassed.

"Well, that's not so bad," Emmett offered sympathetically. "You know, Rosie puked on me a couple months ago. It happens."

"I'm sure it does," Bella grumbled.

"You've been throwing up, you say? You sure you got the flu?" Emmett asked good-naturedly. Bella tried to rein it in; it was natural that pregnancy would come to mind for him. His wife _was_ pregnant, after all. But Bella lost the fight.

"No, Emmett, I am not pregnant. I have a headache and a stuffy-runny nose and a fever! The last time I checked those were signs of an infection, and I would not classify a fetus as an infection!"

Dead silence.

"Ok, Bella," Emmett answered, uncharacteristically subdued. Bella cringed. Emmett had been trying to be his usual, lighthearted self, and Bella had just mowed him down. Hello, Ms. Nasty.

"I'm so sorry, Emmett. That was just… Rude."

"No worries, Bells. You wouldn't believe the sort of stuff Rosalie says to me… Rose! Rosie! Come on, I didn't mean it like that! Tell Edward to call me when he can!" Then Emmett hung up.

"Who was that?" Edward asked as he walked out of the bathroom with a towel slung low on his hips with another around his neck. Bella shook her head free of the sudden image of him wearing Mardi Gras beads and blamed it on her feverish delirium.

"Emmett. He wants you to call him, but I have no idea why."

"He left me a voicemail earlier, wanting to know if I wanted to go to the batting cages with him tomorrow, but I think I'd rather stay here and make sure you're ok."

"I'm not a child, Edward, you can go have fun with your cousin," Bella admonished him.

"That's my whole point, love. It wouldn't _be_ fun, because I wouldn't be able to think of anything but you here, alone and miserable. I can reschedule with Emmett any time. There're only so many opportunities available for me to pamper you."

"How is it you can make me feel like a million dollars, when I feel like crap?" Bella asked, smiling.

"I hope you don't limit yourself to a million dollars, love. You, dearest, are priceless," Edward assured her, pulling on a pair of flannel sleep pants and curling up behind Bella. "Just relax, and rest. I'll bring you some broth in an hour or two."

"I love you, Edward," Bella murmured, quickly relaxing against Edward's cooler body.

"Love you, too, Bella. It doesn't get much better," he whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head and allowing her to rest.

Right on schedule, Bella was feeling better just three days later, but it hadn't been without several _remedies_ from the family. Esme had brought by a week's supply of her delicious _new and improved_ homemade chicken soup, complete with recipe card attached. Edward had taken one look in the large stock pot and let out a short laugh. He shook his head, smiling and muttering good-naturedly about family not knowing any boundaries. Bella hadn't understood what he was laughing over until he explained that a yam-rich diet was thought to influence an unusually high rate of twinning, and that Esme's recipe had never before included any fertility-influencing tubers. Subtlety, thy name is Esme Cullen.

The next day, Rosalie had come by with a package of herbal tea that she said would work like a charm. Bella hadn't thought much of Rose's words until her pseudo-sister-in-law had left and she got a good look at the package. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry when she saw the brand name. _Fertilitea_ was touted as "A Tea for Preconception." Subtlety, thy name is _not_ Rosalie Cullen. Still, Bella supposed it was the thought that counted.

Now, they were set to fly to France in eighteen hours and Edward had just finished his last shift as a resident the day before. Bella was packed and ready to go; she left Edward to pack his things while she went into the office. She'd only to drop off the manuscripts that she had finished editing, but Carmen had been sure to catch her to bid her 'Bon Voyage!' before Bella left the office.

When Bella returned to their townhome, her hopes for a relaxing pre-travel evening sank. There was a small yellow car parked on the curb. Bella groaned, instantly aware that it had to be Alice in her new car. Only her perky pseudo-sister-in-law could happily drive a car quite so… _Yellow_.

Bella wasn't sure what to expect. Alice had asked something about having appropriate wedding attire when they had spoken on the phone the day before, but Bella hadn't thought anything further on it. When she walked past the kitchen, she was surprised to see Edward alone, standing at the fridge and drinking down a glass of water.

"Hey, Edward… Where's Alice?" she queried, eagerly accepting Edward's greeting kiss.

"She's in the bedroom." Bella gave Edward a look that clearly said, _You let her near our suitcases?_ Edward gave her an _I couldn't keep her out!_ look in return. "You may not want to go up there right now…" Edward warned.

"_YES, SHE DOES!_" Alice called from upstairs. Edward and Bella traded a wary glance and then Bella took to the stairs.

"Alice?" she called.

"In here!" came the muffled response from the closet.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked.

"I'm helping you pack, silly," Alice replied.

"Alice, I am packed. I have been since yesterday."

"Nonsense. You needed a couple somethings extra," Alice said coyly.

"Meaning?" Bella prodded.

"Don't be mad. I found the most perfect little black dress in this boutique near my office! I saw it and I just _knew_ that it was the one; you had to wear it to the wedding! You'll drive Edward crazy," Alice promised.

"Where is it? Let's see it," Bella said.

"You can't look at it until you get there," Alice ordered.

"_Alice_…" Bella said warningly. "Gerard Rousseau is Edward's best friend from his time abroad. His family practically adopted Edward! I can't look like I'm going clubbing at their son's wedding!" Bella had the sudden fear that she would be very self-conscious in the dress Alice had found. It would probably not be as comfortable as the grey, knit wrap-dress that she had intended to wear.

"_Bella,"_Alice said, using the same tone as Bella had, though the mischievous glint in her eye was all her own. "Trust me; you will be happy that you wore this dress. You will look classic and timeless, and Edward won't know what hit him." Alice was extremely convincing; Bella's fears melted and she nodded her acquiescence. Alice squealed in delight.

"But no heels," Bella insisted.

"Just a little one," Alice argued, holding her fingers less than an inch apart. Bella just sighed and nodded.

"Are you always this pushy with your clients?" Bella teased.

"My clients know better than to argue with me. My reputation as the best financial planner in the Pacific Northwest precedes me," Alice said airily, which caused both women to laugh.

"Is it safe to enter?" Edward asked, knocking on the door.

"Quite safe," Alice assured him. Then, she grabbed both Edward and Bella in a group hug and kissed them both on the cheek. "Have fun in France," she said, and then lithely stepped from the room. Moments later, Edward and Bella heard the distinct click of the front door latching shut, followed by a key turning in the lock.

They stood there for a few moments, taken aback by the whirlwind that was Alice. Then Edward broke the silence.

"She's gone." Bella nodded. "We're all alone." Another nod. "The bed looks awfully empty…"

Edward couldn't say another word; Bella had silenced him with an ardent kiss and a push towards the bed.

"Bella, love. They're calling our flight. It's time to board." Edward stroked her cheek and pulled her upright. They had had a short run-across-the-airport layover in New York; fog in Seattle had prevented them from taking off when scheduled. Their planned, two-hour layover became a mere thirty minutes. Edward and Bella had only just made it to the correct terminal in time to board their flight to London.

"Why is traveling so exhausting? Other than the run across the airport in New York, we've been sitting for nearly a full day. How did the pilgrims tolerate months on a boat?"

"I suspect we'll never know. Just be glad you're not wearing a corset and floor-length skirts…" Edward teased. Bella grimaced. If there was anything that Bella was the most insistent about in clothing, it was comfort. Especially while traveling.

The flight into Paris was blessedly short. Security was another matter. There was a short queue ahead of them, but there was a stout woman who was obviously from the states arguing with the border agent about processing her cat through quarantine. Both Edward and Bella were nearly asleep on their feet when they finally reached the counter and presented their passports for inspection.

The official took in the sight of their US passports and heaved a heavy sigh. Bella could tell that the man was barely holding back an eye-roll, but she supposed she couldn't really blame him. He had just listened to the cat lady for at least thirty minutes as she hysterically rambled over poor Mitten's lack of tolerance for kenneling, even though the man had explained that it was a part of their protocol. Bella felt like rolling her eyes too. Just a little, anyways.

Bella offered an apologetic smile to the obviously-tired official. The man brightened considerably though, when Edward began to converse with him in French. Edward's accent wasn't perfect, but it was better than if he had only studied the language in school, considering he had also lived with a French flat-mate for two years.

Before long, Edward had the man laughing at something that Bella only caught bits and pieces of. What little French she had managed to learn from Edward could not compete with their fluency. She only understood two words: femme and amour. Finally, with a pronounced flourish, the official stamped both Bella and Edward's passports and bid them, _"B__on voyage!"_

Bella's eyes, which had been drooping before, were now wide with excitement. After nearly twenty hours, they were finally in Paris. Edward laughed when she nearly stumbled while trying to take in every inch of the enormously-vaulted glass ceilings and multitude of moving walk-ways. Bella pursed her lips in response, embarrassed to have been caught gawking like a tourist.

Edward pulled her to a stop in the middle of the airport with a mischievous glint in his eye. Bella was on the verge of asking him what he was planning behind that smirk of his when he pulled her to him and kissed her for the first time in hours. Bella was taken aback by Edward's sudden playful ardor, especially while in broad daylight in the middle of Charles de Gaulle Airport. Blushing madly, Bella pulled back breathlessly and smiled at Edward.

"What brought that on?" she asked, laughing.

"How can I help it, when I am traveling with the most beautiful woman in all of Paris?"

"What did that man say to you?" Bella laughed. Edward blushed slightly himself. He knew he'd been caught.

"He said that I am a very fortunate man to have such a beautiful wife. He also said that I should be careful, in case a lucky man should lure her away while in the City of Love."

"Staking your claim already, huh?" Bella asked laughingly, but there was a dangerous tilt to her eyebrow that Edward knew all too well.

"Doing so would imply that I own you, and I know far better than to assume such things. I merely couldn't hold myself back any longer. I've wanted to kiss you in Paris since the first time I met you, love."

Bella had no answer for that. Not one in words, in any case. She promptly dropped the bags she was carrying and wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and kissed him with even more passion than their previous kiss.

"You do have a way with words, Edward," Bella murmured when she pulled away, blushing at the whistles and applause that they were eliciting from the surrounding passersby.

"I can only speak the truth, love," Edward replied with her favorite crooked smile.

"Come on, Romeo," Bella teased, picking up the bags she had abandoned moments before.

"What do you feel like doing?" Edward asked.

"What time is it here?"

"It's about quarter-to-eight in the morning," Edward answered.

Which makes it 10:30, last night, back home," Bella mused, trying to wrap her mind around the time difference.

"We would do well to stay up as long as we can. We both slept on the plane, so I think we'll be good until this evening. We want to acclimate to the time change as quickly as possible. It's still too early to check into the hotel, but we could ask them to hold our bags for us. Want to see the city?"

"Sure, I've got a personal guide, why not?" Bella teased.

"I haven't visited Paris that extensively, Bella. I visited Gerard's family a few times on school breaks when I didn't want to take the time and expense to fly back to the States. I've only had the briefest of tours of the most famous landmarks."

"It's still more than I've seen. Show me your favorite parts of Paris," Bella invited. Once their bags were taken care of, Bella sent a text out to Esme to let them know they had arrived safely and to ask her to let Charlie know as well. She knew for a fact that Esme would sit up all night worrying, or would end up calling them at an inopportune moment. Charlie would worry, and he would appreciate the call from Esme, but he wasn't the type to admit it or expect it.

As soon as they were in the city, Edward and Bella managed to join a reasonably priced walking tour of some major landmarks. At just under two hours, it was more overview than tour, but Bella hoped that it would help them pick what they most wanted to see in greater detail later. They planned to head out to Reims tomorrow, and spend the day visiting with Gerard, his fiancée and his family. Saturday was the wedding; after which, Edward and Bella would spend the next week in Paris.

After two stops on their tour, Bella had to confiscate the camera from Edward to insure that their pictures would include more than close-ups of her with a sliver of Paris in the background. In their group was a friendly middle-aged Belgian couple named Dietrich and Elise. They very happily volunteered to take some photos of Edward and Bella together.

Their tour guide spoke in heavily accented English, which Bella had a hard time following. She began to get frustrated at the Arc de Triomphe when she missed a joke that had the other members of their group laughing. Edward smiled apologetically and pulled her to the spot that the guide had pointed out at which you could see the three arches of Paris, framed within one another. She lost all desire to listen to the guide after that stop, however, as Edward wrapped his arms around her from behind and began to whisper all the important parts into her ear. Bella was fairly certain that they missed some interesting things in the process, but she couldn't find it in her to object.

When their tour ended, Edward and Bella decided to climb the Eiffel tower, which, Bella was interested to note, was actually painted brown. She had expected it to be steel-grey or black. Their Belgian friends asked if they wouldn't mind them joining them for the climb, and then insisted on taking their picture in front of the tower.

"Is this your honeymoon?" Elise asked. She and her husband had teased Edward and Bella back at the arch about their near-constant physical contact.

"Uh, no, actually. We've been married for a little over a year now," Edward explained. Dietrich shared a smile with Elise, and the four of them joined the queue at the stairs. They took their time climbing, taking in the view from every possible angle and pointing out the different monuments and places they wanted to visit. At the second story, Elise took another photo of Edward and Bella, and then they were able to get another tourist to take a picture of the four of them before they parted ways. Dietrich and Elise joined the queue for the elevators to the third level, and Edward and Bella decided to take in more of the city.

"Mistaken for honeymooners in the most romantic city in the world…" Edward laughed. "I can't wait to make love to you in the _City of Love_," Edward murmured into Bella's ear once they were alone. Bella shivered at his tone. There was definite intent behind his words; it was no empty promise. Bella stopped walking and moved to stand in front of Edward. His eyes were fixed on her every move. Without breaking his gaze, Bella stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms slowly around his neck before leaning fully into his body.

"Is that so?" she asked quietly. Edward could only nod. Bella smiled coyly and captured Edward's lips with her own. "That makes two of us then," Bella teased when she broke away a moment later and left Edward standing, stunned, in the middle of the sidewalk. A second later, he shook his head to clear it and jogged after her, catching her up into his arms and swinging her around. Bella squealed and laughed as Edward finally put her down and kissed her for a few minutes more before continuing on their way.

They were walking hand-in-hand down the street towards the Musee D'Orsay when a delectable scent caused them to a stop and set their stomachs growling. Edward immediately turned around and pulled Bella back to what looked like a newspaper stand; except this smelled entirely delicious, unlike the average newspaper stand. Bella was delighted to see that it was a street vendor, selling crepes and Panini. They got a three-cheese Panini and a crepe to share; both were massive, and utterly delicious.

"I think your crepes are still better," Bella said as they finished and threw away their trash.

"I'd have to disagree with you on that one, love," Edward laughed, rubbing his overly-full stomach.

"I won't deny that that crepe was delicious, Edward. But yours are made with love, and that's what makes the difference," Bella insisted. Edward couldn't help it; he had to kiss her. When could they check in to their hotel again? Finally, they pulled away and continued down the street.

Along the way, Edward and Bella passed a few different street performers. One played a lonely melody on a violin; another drew in chalks all over the sidewalk in addition to portraits of those willing to sit for a few minutes and drop a few Euros into the waiting cup. The most eccentric though, was a woman in a skin-tight bronze-colored leotard and full-body bronze make-up. She stood atop a box at the side of the walkway, absolutely still and silent. Every few moments, she would move slowly until she froze in a new position. She was literally a living statue. Bella ached just watching her.

Musee D'Orsay was wonderful; they both enjoyed seeing all the original Monet, Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh paintings. They kept a hold of one another through the whole afternoon, whether holding hands strolling down the street or, when the crowd grew thick, pressed against one another as Edward held Bella's back to his chest. They hadn't been alone together in over thirty hours. The tension and the teasing between them were growing thicker with every moment.

As they came out of the museum, they realized that it was dinnertime. Neither of them wanted to wait until they got checked into their hotel to eat dinner, so they walked the streets on the look-out for another vendor. They got back to the hotel just before night fall, their stomachs pleasantly full of Panini and crepes. Edward handled the check-in while Bella stood wearily on her feet, barely staying conscious after their busy day and her full stomach. Once they collected their key-cards and their luggage, they barely got to their room in time. Their long hours of traveling followed by a day of sightseeing finally caught up to them. They both collapsed onto the bed and shared a single kiss before they were out cold.

Bella practically leapt out of the bed the following morning, feeling the travel grime like a thick layer on her skin. She hated going to bed unshowered, especially as filthy as she currently felt. A shower was long overdue.

Edward had been woken rather abruptly when his wife suddenly removed herself from his arms, but his confusion didn't last very long once he heard the shower running. He contemplated climbing in with Bella, but while fun, that solution saved very little time or water. They had to be checked-out and at the train station in a little more than an hour.

Instead, Edward ordered a simple breakfast for them from room service, and gathered what little had been scattered the day before while he set out their clothes for the day and got ready for his turn in the bathroom. His plans to put the reputation of French lovers to shame would have to wait.

Bella rushed through her breakfast, and tried not to think of Edward's state of undress as he took his turn in the shower. They had teased and flirted with one another so much the previous day that it was harder to distract herself than she wanted to admit. They traded a few promising kisses before they finally made it down to the lobby and checked out.

Edward held Bella's hand the whole way to the train station. Their accommodations on the train allowed no privacy; even at just under two hours, it would be a long ride to Reims.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for your patience with this chapter! My hubby just recently graduated from college (yay, hubby!) and we're looking for a new job. Combine that with having the kids home for the summer and I'm one stressed-out crazy lady;) Fanfiction has kept me a little sane, anyways. Here's hoping!**

**Gleena and I are putting ourselves up for auction, so to speak. The Fandom Gives Back auction will be running June 23-July 7, 2010, and we're auctioning a one-shot (min 5000 words, T-rated) in the Masen and Swan series. ****The website for that auction hasn't been launched yet (should be going up today or soon), so more on that later!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**ebhg**


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